"The switchyard is in Eastern Lithuania. It is old. It was put into service in 1981. The state of most of the installations is close to critical," Litgrid CEO Daivis Virbickas said at a news conference on February 23rd.
According to Virbickas, the upgrading of the switchyard would ensure the flexibility of power supply. The project would also involve preparing a site for the construction of a current converter, should one be needed.
"We want to clearly separate the elements of the Lithuanian system from Belarus' system and we want to concentrate one line on Belarus," he said.
Litgrid also plans to develop, in 2016 to 2014, five projects related to the electricity system of the Vilnius region. These projects are also part of preparations for the planned synchronization with Western Europe.
The three Baltic countries are seeking to synchronize their grids with Continental Europe or Scandinavia and disconnect from the so-called BRELL energy ring, which also includes Russia and Belarus.
The countries have yet to agree on how to synchronize the grids, but it is expected that the process could be completed by 2025.
