The energy ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed Wednesday to strengthen joint reserve capacities for their power systems and to explore sharing emergency grid equipment in the event of major disruptions.
Meeting in Riga, Lithuanian Energy Minister Lukas Savickas and his Latvian and Estonian counterparts signed a declaration committing the three countries to jointly assess their needs for transformers, transmission towers, generators and other emergency equipment required during threats, accidents or system failures.
“Joint reserves and an agreement to coordinate actions during emergencies will help ensure a more reliable energy supply for the public, while joint decisions will allow for more efficient and cost-effective strengthening of energy infrastructure security,” Savickas said in a statement.
Under the agreement, the Baltic transmission system operators will evaluate their reserve requirements and then prepare a joint application for European Union funding to purchase and maintain the equipment.
The ministers also discussed the protection of strategic energy facilities. Lithuania’s Energy Ministry said the ministers agreed that drones have “become a new security reality” and that protection against them is now “an integral part of critical infrastructure protection at the regional level”.
