Disconnecting Baltics from BRELL could cost EUR 800m

The EC’s officials say that the Baltic states should themselves decide whether to include the EC in negotiations on leaving BRELL (the power ring of Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).

Albinas Zananavičius, Ambassador-at-large of Lithuania to the European Union (EU), has a similar opinion. According to the diplomat, Brussels should be included in negotiations with Russia, but an agreement on the matter must be reached with neighbouring countries first.

The ambassador said at a meeting with journalists that the Baltic states have a common understanding on the necessity to synchronise their power networks with the West.

Poland, on the other hand, does not see economic grounds for the integration of the Baltic countries in the electricity network of the West because such synchronisation could lead to import of cheap Russian electricity to Poland, which might undermine its fossil fuel-fired power plants.

According to Zananavičius and other diplomats, the synchronisation with the West is crucial, but it will be difficult to justify the economic benefit of the project not only to Poland but to Lithuanian consumers as well.

“After 25 years of independence, we are still completely dependent on the Russian system. This seems rather odd,” said the ambassador.