The European Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) has signed a €720m grant agreement with the electricity transmission system operators of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for the Baltic Synchronisation Project. The three Baltic States, which are currently operating in a synchronous mode with the Russian and Belarusian systems, aim to synchronise their grid with the continental European network (CEN) by 2025. New interconnection lines have been built with EU support, such as the LitPol Link between Lithuania and Poland, the NordBalt line between Lithuania and Sweden and the Estlink 1 and Estlink 2 lines between Estonia and Finland. In 2019, the European Commission awarded a €323m grant for the first phase of the project, focusing on reinforcing the internal grids of the Baltic countries. The new grant will be dedicated to the construction of the Harmony link, a new submarine HVDC link between Lithuania and Poland.
In October 2020, EU Member States have agreed with the European Commission’s proposal to invest €998m from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme in major European energy infrastructure projects aimed at improving competitiveness, enhancing the EU’s security of energy supply, and promoting safe, secure and efficient network operations.