Rosatom: Agreement on Russia, Belarus and Baltic electricity interconnection may benefit EU

The agreement on interconnection and synchronization of the electricity systems of Russia, Belarus and the Baltic states that is currently being negotiated by Russia and the EU could be beneficial for both the Russian Federation and the European Union, Deputy Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation Kirill Komarov said as he presented his report at the roundtable in Brussels within the Russia-EU Energy Dialogue, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Rusatom Overseas Company.

According to Kirill Komarov, Russia and the EU hold similar views in matters of nuclear safety standards. The European Union has already supported several initiatives of the Russian Federation to improve the international legal framework in nuclear security.

Now that the Russian Federation and the EU have gained many-year experience in operating various types of reactors, the Rosatom representative called upon the European colleagues to move towards development of joint basic principles in nuclear security.

The roundtable "Dialogue between Russia and the EU: competition and cooperation in nuclear energy " was held with the partner support of the European Commission. The event was also attended by representatives of the European energy sector, the European Parliament, European politicians, and businessmen.

According to experts, Russia insists on synchronous operation of the electricity systems as this is critical for energy security of the north-western parts of Russia and Belarus, and the Baltic countries.

De-synchronization will require huge investments into the electricity systems of Russia and the Baltic countries to ensure the safety and security of supply. Therefore, Russia wants to secure the long-term mechanism guaranteeing the synchronized operation and the impossibility of taking unilateral decisions to de-synchronize the systems.