Baltic States' Electricity Operators Agree on Assistance in Case of Large-Scale Damage

The electricity distribution system operators of the Baltic states - Latvia's AS "Sadales tīkls", Lithuania's "ESO", and Estonia's "Elektrilevi" - will sign a cooperation memorandum today in Riga on mutual assistance in the event of large-scale power grid damage, representatives of "Sadales tīkls" informed the LETA agency.

The company explained that the memorandum will strengthen the Baltic states' ability to respond in a coordinated manner to emergency situations, ensuring clear cooperation principles, prompt information exchange, and mutual support when additional resources are needed to address damage.

The cooperation of the Baltic states' distribution system operators is based on many years of professional relationships, regular exchange of experience, and mutual support. In recent years, it has been gradually strengthened at the level of formal agreements as well. Last year, "Sadales tīkls" and "Elektrilevi" concluded a bilateral memorandum of understanding on mutual assistance in cases of large-scale network damage, while this June, "Sadales tīkls" and "ESO" agreed to develop equivalent cooperation. The new memorandum will, for the first time, unite all three Baltic states' distribution system operators in a unified cooperation framework.

"Sadales tīkls" points out that the importance of cooperation was vividly demonstrated by the storms this August. In Latvia, at the peak of the storms, power supply disruptions affected more than 285,000 customers, and Estonian colleagues were also involved in mitigating the damage. After completing the work in Latvia, "Sadales tīkls" provided support to the Lithuanian operator "ESO", where the elimination of storm consequences continued longer.