Brussels, 28 May 2019 - ENTSO-E is happy to announce that the Agreement on the Conditions for a Future Synchronous Interconnection of the power system of the Baltic States and the power system of Continental Europe entered into force on 27 May 2019.

The application to future connection was made by the Baltic States TSOs (Elering, AST and Litgrid) and supported by the Polish TSO (PSE) that are all members of ENTSO-E.

The Continental Europe power system stretches across 26 countries and is one of the largest interconnected power systems in the world. The Baltic States power system is currently asynchronously connected to Continental Europe through LitPol Link between Lithuania and Poland and to the Nordic Synchronous Area through NordBalt between Lithuania and Sweden and Estlink 1 and 2 between Estonia and Finland.

The Baltic synchronisation with Continental Europe is part of the EU Energy Union strategy and will provide for the Baltic TSOs to operate their systems under the frequency of the Continental European System and under the EU rules. The operational rules of the TSOs of Continental Europe have been updated on 14 April 2019 with the entry into force of the Synchronous Area Framework Agreement (SAFA) which ensures compliance with the EU network codes and guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a synchronous area?

A synchronous area is a group of power system that are connected and operate under the same frequency. In ENTSO-E, there are five synchronous areas: the Continental Europe Area, the Nordic Area, the Baltic Area, the British Area, the Ireland and Northern Ireland Area. The Continental Europe Area is the largest including 26 countries. Each synchronous area is represented by a Regional Group under the System Operation Committee of ENTSO-E.

What is the Synchronous Area Framework (SAFA)?

The Synchronous Area Framework (SAFA) for the ENTSO-E Regional Group Continental Europe replaces and supersedes the 2005 Multilateral Agreement Operation Handbook. It develops the Synchronous Area Operation Agreement according to Article 118 of the Guideline on System Operation, one of the eight European network codes and guidelines, and includes also necessary agreements among the TSOs of Continental Europe not bound by EU law.