Lithuania removes Kaliningrad power lines after joining EU electricity grid

The dismantling frees up land for owners to use without restrictions, Litgrid said.

“After the Baltic states synchronized with the continental European grid and disconnected from the Russian network in February 2025, the lines linking the countries were physically cut off within days and dismantling began,” the company noted. “Some sections were removed in the first weeks after synchronization, and today not a single line remains on the border with Russia.”

Litgrid plans to complete the removal of all remaining cross-border lines by mid-2027.

“We have completed a symbolic but important process — dismantling all lines crossing the border between Lithuania and Kaliningrad,” Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis said. “This is not only a physical removal of infrastructure but also a sign of our full integration into Europe’s electricity system. The dismantling work, especially of the four lines crossing the Neman River, was technically challenging, but thanks to the professionalism of our employees and contractors, it went smoothly and safely. Once completed, we will eliminate unnecessary infrastructure and further strengthen our energy independence.”

In total, Lithuania dismantled three 330-kV and three 110-kV overhead lines with Kaliningrad.

The company also confirmed that work is underway to dismantle lines with Belarus. “Altogether, 12 interconnections with Belarus and Kaliningrad — five at 330 kV and seven at 110 kV — will be fully dismantled by mid-2027,” Litgrid said.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia disconnected from the joint Russian-Belarusian BRELL network on Feb. 8, 2025, and joined the continental European grid the next day. That system serves more than 400 million consumers across 26 countries.

The Baltic states first applied to join the European grid in 2007. They stopped importing electricity from Russia in May 2022.

Ukraine disconnected its power grid from Russia’s on Feb. 24, 2022, hours before the full-scale invasion began. Initially intended as a temporary test, the move led to Ukraine’s emergency synchronization with Europe’s ENTSO-E network three weeks later, enabling electricity trade with the EU.