Estonian prime minister admits three-day power outage

During the disconnection of the Estonian energy system from Russia in February, the country may lose electricity for 72 hours. This was announced by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal on January 30.

"In the best case nothing will happen, if there are problems, the next step will be to determine which consumers need to be disconnected," Postimees quoted him as saying.

Mihal specified that a 72-hour power cut is the worst case scenario. He added that the country is ready for any possible situation.

On the same day it was reported that in Estonia, residents are buying power generators en masse because of the upcoming disconnection of the Estonian energy system from the Russian one, which is scheduled for February this year. Also, local stores have noted an increase in purchases of food with a long shelf life, pet food, hygiene products, flashlights and batteries.

In November 2024, power system operators of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia officially notified Russia and Belarus about withdrawal from the common energy system of BRELL by February 8, 2025. The European Union (EU) will allocate about €1.2 billion to the project, thereby covering three-quarters of the total costs. Synchronization of the countries' power systems with the continental European Synchronous Area is scheduled for February 9, 2025.

It has been claimed that the project's implementation will ensure the Baltic states' independence and increase the region's energy security.