News | Headlines
Baltic electricity synchronises with Europe
Europe Transmission & distribution ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators, has announced the successful synchronisation of the electricity systems of the Baltic states with the corresponding systems of Continental Europe. This is a historically significant milestone for the Europe and the Baltic states, strengthening the energy resilience and independence across the region. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania successfully synchronised their electricity grids with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area, which serves 400 million customers, on 9 February 2025 at 14:05 EET. It enables the Baltic States to manage their electricity grids in close co-operation with all other Continental European countries, with stable and reliable frequency control, significantly enhancing regional energy security and breaking their reliance on the Russian and Belarussian systems for frequency management. All electricity interconnections with Russia and Belarus have been permanently disconnected. This process follows years of thorough preparation and co-operation among the Baltic transmission system operators Elering Litgrid (Lithuania), and their counterparts in the European synchronous area. A particularly important role of PSE in Poland was the overall co-ordination and project management, as a direct neighbour and as the system which physically connects the
Transmission line construction as part of Baltic synchronisation project
Synchronous condenser
Transmission line under construction or reconstruction
Disconnecting from Russian power system Existing transmission line
Battery energy storage system (BESS)
New planned connection with Poland Substation constructed or reconstructed as part of Baltic synchronisation project
Substation under construction or reconstruction
Baltic States’ systems to Continental Europe. Extensive infrastructure upgrades in the Baltic states and Poland were essential for this achievement. Amprion, as Continental European Co-ordination Centre North supported the planning and co-ordination. This synchronisation has been strongly
supported by the European Union and ENTSO-E, the association of European electricity transmission system operators. Their contributions have included technical guidance, operational and legal expertise, and European funding to facilitate the successful integration.
German Institute warns of WTG security risks
Germany Energy security The planned installation of 16 Chinese wind turbines off the German coast should be prevented on the grounds of public safety, business daily Handelsblatt has reported, basing its assessment on an advisory paper from the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS). The following review comes chiefly from online news agency Clean Energy Wire.
The analysis, commissioned by the defence ministry, warned of ‘potential blackmail’ and said all legal options must be used to prevent plans to build the wind farm off the coast of Borkum in northwestern Germany. Hamburg- based asset manager Luxcara has awarded the contract to a Chinese manufacturer. “Unlike millions of solar panels, which today come almost exclusively from China, a single offshore wind farm with the capacity of an entire power plant in a strategically significant location is a much greater target for
manipulation of the energy supply – and also for espionage,” the business daily reported. The warning comes as wind farm operators increasingly turn to Chinese manufacturers as global supply chains tighten owing to limited production capacities in offshore wind worldwide.
Luxcara has pushed back against claims from military circles that the farm could pose a danger to national security. “We take the discussions about possible risks from non-European technologies very seriously and are aware of our responsibility,” a spokeswoman told Handelsblatt. She added that very specific security precautions were being implemented for the installed information technology. In addition, the manufacturer, Ming Yang, will not have direct access to system controls during operation, the company said. Control, management, data connections and servicing will be carried out in Germany.
8 | March 2025 |
www.modernpowersystems.com
All of the installation’s critical components will be supplied by European manufacturers, Luxcara stressed. Furthermore, the wind turbine would be continuously checked by independent experts in compliance with the “highest IT and data security requirements,” and all critical components are subject to safety tests before commissioning. Nevertheless, the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies warned of possible espionage through sensors, which could potentially track naval ships, submarines and aircraft. It also added that it could not be ruled out that the critical infrastructure would be unavailable in the event of a crisis or conflict. The European Commission has also expressed concerns over security and a growing dependence on China. However, due to limited production capacities in offshore wind supply chains worldwide, German wind farm operators are forced to turn to Chinese manufacturers.
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