Get rid of the ring. How the Baltic countries emerged from energy dependence on Russia and Belarus

The history of BRELL is a story about countries that left the empire, but remained connected to its socket for a long time. Now this outlet is de-energized for them. Disconnection from Russian networks was the last step in a process that began not with wires, but with the understanding that energy independence is a continuation of political independence.

On a fine September day, workers in neon vests and jackets with slogans Litgrid (Lithuanian power transmission system operator) cut and unrolled the last coils of wires from the now useless power lines on the way from Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region. Some of the supports were already lying on the ground, partially disassembled and ready for complete dismantling.

From now on, not a single electrical cable connects Lithuania and Russia, and in the next year and a half, Lithuania will “get rid of” Belarus, dismantling a total of 15 power lines in a year and a half. 544 towers will either be used to transmit energy within Lithuania or will be destroyed, and the vacated land will be given to farmers, 231 km of cables will be disposed of, and part of the infrastructure (for example, insulators) will be transferred to the Ukrainian energy system.

The head of Litgrid, ex-Minister of Energy of Lithuania Rokas Masiulis called the cutting of the last cable a “symbolic but important step”, confirming the full integration of Lithuania into the European energy system and exit from the BRELL energy ring with Russia, that is, a break with Russian infrastructure.

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