Baltic States and Poland in the Spotlight of Allies: Concern Turns into Solid Funding
Over the past few years, Lithuania and the other Baltic states, along with Poland, have become the center of attention for EU and NATO allies. Assessing all possible dangers and challenges, increasing attention is being paid to the protection of the region's energy infrastructure, especially in Lithuania, as it is the country in Europe with the most diverse energy connections with other states. In January of this year, concern turned into money: Lithuania, together with Latvia, Estonia, and Poland, received the first EU funding specifically for the protection of critical energy infrastructure, amounting to approximately €113 million. How will we use this money?
Baltic States and Poland – Strategic Points
"The funds are intended to continue what we started. Recently, the synchronization project, natural gas connection projects, and electricity connection projects have been completed. We usually hear about them when the ribbon is cut or when something goes wrong. But the EU is taking care of our resilience against various threats and continuing these connections. The money is for the development and protection of critical energy infrastructure. The EU has also contributed to a large part of the energy projects already implemented in Lithuania, the Baltic states, and Europe," says Marius Vaščega, head of the European Commission Representation in Lithuania, on the Delfi TV show "Security DNA."
According to the spokesperson, the Baltic states and Poland are geographically important to Europe because this region is closest to potential threats.
"The goal of the European Commission is to achieve not only physical infrastructure resilience but also societal resilience. And the Baltic states today are becoming an example of how to do this and even transfer good practices to other European countries. Lithuania is leading the way," emphasizes Vaščega, adding that Europe's energy infrastructure is interconnected.
"If we want Europe to support our initiatives, we must look at other countries' concerns in solidarity and support them. Therefore, EU-funded projects compete with each other; it must be proven that they have reached a certain level and can be implemented on time and quickly," says the spokesperson.
The List of Projects in Lithuania Is Constantly Growing
Andrius Šemeškevičius, head of Litgrid, lists the projects that Lithuania is already implementing to strengthen the protection of energy infrastructure and those still planned. According to him, our country bears great responsibility due to its geographical position and the large number of connections with other countries.
"Our geographical position is such that we essentially represent all the Baltic states, and synchronization with continental Europe took place precisely through Lithuania, via the connection with Poland. Latvia and Estonia are heavily dependent on us. Speaking about European support, those projects that involve the interests of several countries are prioritized. Therefore, funding for resilience measures for the Baltic states and Poland received a higher priority," says the spokesperson.
He continues that the first resilience program that Lithuania is implementing is worth about €150 million. The program covers about 70 facilities in Lithuania that want additional protection, about 150 measures divided into 15 different initiatives or projects.
"We can start with the simplest things, for example, an electrical substation where lines and flows converge. It needs protection: perimeter surveillance, video cameras, various response systems, sensors that would alert us and allow us to react in time, because you can't put a police officer at every facility. Then anti-drone measures: drones need to be detected in time, responded to, and landed. As for perimeter protection, a simple fence is not enough; it needs to be additionally reinforced so that even a loaded large truck cannot destroy it. Also, physical barriers are needed for equipment in substations. This is a technological structure designed to ensure the supply of electricity; it was never designed to withstand explosives or other physical actions. The protection of submarine cables is also in focus. Not only do we need to monitor them, but it is also possible to pour special mixtures to make the cable invulnerable," lists the head of Litgrid, mentioning just a part of existing and future projects.
However, according to Šemeškevičius, there is one measure on which it is difficult for us to agree in Europe – filling the critical reserve. This is equipment used in the energy sector.
"You can't just buy it off the shelf; it is specialized, manufacturers produce it on order. There is certain equipment that would require waiting from 3 to 5 years to purchase," says the spokesperson.
Europe Woke Up
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries began to view energy infrastructure not only as an economic asset but also as a national security object. It became clear that energy networks could be targets during war or hybrid attacks. However, Lithuania has always lived next to a hostile neighbor, so why wasn't energy infrastructure considered earlier?
"Obviously, with the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the whole of Europe woke up, including us. We realized that security measures must be implemented from the very beginning of design. Currently, Lithuania has an energy system built for peacetime. So now all of Europe is concerned, especially those countries located around the Baltic Sea. They want and are implementing additional measures, but we are already asking whether they are sufficient. We see that energy infrastructure is one of the main targets, and whether the measures we are implementing today are enough. We believe they are not; we are already talking about further actions, long-term ones," says the head of Litgrid.
One of the new priorities in energy is cybersecurity. New systems and protective measures are being implemented, but Šemeškevičius emphasizes that cybersecurity is a very dynamic field requiring constant monitoring and checking.
"For example, when we talk about prosumers, their equipment should be certified, controlled, or at least their control from China should be disconnected. The Baltic states, especially Lithuania, are leaders in renewable energy, so any disruption of a large generator, wind farm, solar farm, or battery park could cause major disturbances to our ecosystem if there were deliberate attacks. ... Internally, we are implementing measures to stop cyberattacks: a backup system control center, the ability to work from the cloud, and other measures. However, we should not have illusions that we can be absolutely safe in cybersecurity terms. Physical measures are clear: bunkers, gates, etc., but in cybersecurity terms, we need to constantly work and check, because things are always changing," emphasizes the spokesperson.
