(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 20. Following the successful completion of the synchronization of the Baltic States with the continental European power grid earlier this year, the transmission system operators of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are moving on to the next phase: strengthening resilience to hybrid security threats, Trend reports.

''To this end, the operators have applied for European Union funding to support projects aimed at protecting critical infrastructure connected to the Baltic synchronization,'' the information notes.

“The connection of the Baltic power systems to continental Europe this February was a success, but the work is not over. We are now entering the next stage of the synchronization projects: strengthening resilience,” said Acting Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas.“The security situation in the Baltic Sea Region remains tense, so measures are needed to protect critical energy infrastructure from potential cyber and physical attacks. By supporting and providing assistance to Ukraine, we are learning lessons from them in critical infrastructure protection. We aim to make the Baltic Sea Region a model for strengthening the security and resilience of critical infrastructure across Europe.”

Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis added,“We are planning investments to ensure the security, reliability, and stability of the power system and energy supply. The use of protective measures is wide-ranging – from protective barriers and drone neutralization to measures designed to quickly restore the operation of damaged infrastructure. We are working together with our partners in Estonia, Latvia, and Poland – this is not only a national, but also a pan-European security project.”

On February 8, the Baltic States disconnected from the IPS/UPS system, and the following day, they successfully connected their power systems to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. Synchronization allows the Baltic States to manage their electricity systems in cooperation with other European countries, ensuring stable frequency regulation, energy independence, and stronger energy security across the region. The Continental European network serves more than 400 million users in 26 countries.

The transmission system operators – Litgrid (Lithuania), AST (Latvia), Elering (Estonia), and PSE (Poland) – have jointly applied to the European Commission's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for partial funding to implement resilience projects.

The total investment amounts to €382 million, including €82 million for Lithuania. Litgrid's program alone includes 13 projects, seven of which are seeking CEF support. These initiatives cover the physical protection of critical facilities, the creation of emergency and crisis reserves for transmission network assets, the installation of electronic safety systems, drone detection and neutralization technologies, enhanced perimeter security, and preparedness to operate in critical mode.

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