Baltic energy market interconnection plan

The primary objective of the Baltic energy market interconnection plan (BEMIP) High-Level Group is to achieve an open and integrated regional electricity and gas market between EU countries in the Baltic Sea region. The BEMIP members are Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden. Norway participates as an observer.

Working groups and projects

Dedicated working groups on infrastructure, markets, gas and electricity, security of supply, synchronisation, renewables, offshore grids and energy efficiency, prepare specific measures, projects and studies necessary for achieving the initiative's objectives and targets.

As part of the BEMIP implementation, a number of cross-border and national infrastructure projects (projects of common interest) have been completed across the Baltics to improve their integration with the Nordic electricity market. The key electricity infrastructure projects, such as Estlink 1 and 2, Nordbalt and the LitPol Link, connecting the three Baltic States with Finland, Sweden and Poland respectively, significantly improved the Baltic countries' integration in the EU energy market, and their security of supply.

Further efforts are ongoing in the region to complete the synchronisation of the three Baltic States with European networks by 2025 at the latest, increase transmission capacity in the remote Nordic area, develop a regional gas market, and make the most of the region's energy efficiency and renewable energy potential, both onshore and offshore.

Synchronisation of the Baltic States’ electricity grid with European networks

The three Baltic States' electricity grid still operates synchronously with the Russian and Belarusian systems. A dedicated BEMIP working group steers the work to achieve, by 2025 at the latest, the synchronisation of the Baltics' grid with the continental European network.

On 28 June 2018, the Heads of State or Government of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland together with EC President Juncker, endorsed the political roadmap for synchronising the Baltic States' electricity grid with the continental European network by the target date 2025. They met again, accompanied also by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, in Brussels on 20 June 2019 for the signature of the political roadmap taking stock of the progress and setting new milestones.

Several meetings have been organised in the context of the Baltic energy market interconnection plan (BEMIP) high-level group on the synchronisation of the Baltic States network with the continental European network, for which conclusions are available:

Offshore development in the Baltic Sea region

On 30 September 2020, the Energy Ministers for the 8 EU countries in the Baltic Sea region and Commissioner Kadri Simson signed a declaration committing themselves to closer cooperation on offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. On 28 October 2021, the BEMIP high-level group adopted a work programme for offshore wind development in the region thus operationalising the declaration.

Gas infrastructure projects

Thanks to the implementation of the trans-European energy policy (TEN-E policy), several key Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) have contributed to increasing the resilience of the gas grids in the Baltic Sea region in the past years. In this context of disruption of Russian gas supplies, these projects are extremely important to ensure security of gas supply and the ability to cope with the interruption of gas imports in the countries in the region, which are heavily relying on Russian gas imports.

The enhancement of the interconnection between Latvia and Estonia, the Balticconnector, the Klaipeda LNG Terminal, and the Świnoujście LNG Terminal have already ensured market integration and decreased dependence on Russian gas in a region historically dependent on a single supplier. The situation is expected to significantly further improve with the recent launch of the interconnector between Poland and Lithuania (GIPL), and imminent completion of the expansion of the Świnoujście LNG Terminal, the enhancement of the interconnection between Lithuania and Latvia and the enhancement of the Inčukalns UGS and the Baltic Pipe, bringing for the first time gas from the Northern Seas to the region through Poland. The link between the Baltic Sea region and Central-Eastern Europe will be completed in the 2nd half of 2022 with the interconnection between Poland and Slovakia. The region has also benefited to the greatest extent from grants from the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy.

Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania agreed on 20 April 2020 to establish a process for the future regional gas market integration of their respective countries. It will be the first four-country wide cross-border gas market merger in the EU, which will help to upscale the production of renewable and decarbonised gases in the region.

BEMIP Memorandum of Understanding

The first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the BEMIP initiative was signed on 17 June 2009 and focused on electricity and gas markets, infrastructure and power generation.

On 8 June 2015, a new MoU was signed extending the initiative's scope to security of supply, energy efficiency, renewable energy and the integration of the Baltic States' electricity network into the continental European network, including their synchronous operation.

The priorities under BEMIP high level group are implemented in a coordinated approach through a comprehensive set of measures captured in dedicated action plans. The first BEMIP action plan was agreed in June 2009 and amended in March 2011 (West Baltic Task Force Action Plan) and in March 2013 (Roadmap for the Implementation of Natural Gas Projects in the Eastern Baltic Sea). A new BEMIP action plan was adopted in 2015. Achievements under BEMIP, as well as recent developments in the energy sector, including the revision of the European macro-regional strategies, the new EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the updated energy and climate targets for 2030 in accordance with the Climate Target Plan called for a the adoption of a revised action plan.