Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid AB, national implementing body LTG Infra, and joint venture RB Rail AS have signed a cooperation agreement on preparing electricity transmission networks for connection to the traction substations of the Rail Baltica project.
The agreement between the companies allows for the preparation of the electricity transmission network for the electrification of Rail Baltica, a European railway line recognised as a project of particular importance. A total of 5 sites are to be prepared for integrating the Rail Baltica traction substations into Litgrid’s existing network.
“The signed cooperation agreement with Litgrid, LTG Infra, and RB Rail, confirming the division of works and responsibilities, is significant for the application for further funding for Rail Baltica electrification and allows us to move forward with the work with our partners at a fast pace. Similar cooperation is taking place with transmission network operators also in Estonia and Latvia. This ensures consistency in project implementation in all countries,” said Irmantas Butkauskas, PMP, Head of RB Rail’s Lithuanian branch.
“We are ready to contribute to the success of the Rail Baltica project. By signing the cooperation agreement, we can already start planning resources and making plans so that when the electrification implementation phase starts, we will be ready to promptly approve the prepared technical designs of the structures, conclude the connection agreements, select the contractors for the installation and conversion works and other important steps,” says Rokas Masiulis, Litgrid CEO.
“Timely financing of the project is one of the cornerstones for efficient project execution. In this particular case, we are talking about financing the connection of the electricity transmission grids to the traction substations of the Rail Baltica project. Another important aspect of the signed agreement is that it defines the principles of cooperation, which will enable parallel preparations for the next important stage of the project – electrification – to be carried out while the construction of the railway track is still underway,” says Vytis Zalimas, CEO of LTG.
Rail Baltica is the largest railway infrastructure project in the history of the Baltic States, which will see the construction of an electrified, European-standard double-track railway linking Warsaw, Kaunas, Vilnius, Panevėžys, Riga, Perm and Tallinn. The total length of the Rail Baltica line in the Baltics is 870 km: 392 km in Lithuania, 265 km in Latvia and 213 km in Estonia.
The project is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
About Litgrid:
Litgrid AB, the operator of Lithuania’s electricity transmission system, maintains the stable operation of the country’s electricity system, manages electricity flows and facilitates competition in the open electricity market. The company operates about 7,000 km of overhead lines, over 300 km of cable lines, more than 240 transformer substations and 17 interconnectors with other countries in Lithuania, and maintains them regularly to ensure the proper transmission of electricity to all the country’s residents, institutions and other organisations.
Since 22 December 2010. Litgrid’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Vilnius Stock Exchange’s Additional List. 97.5 % of the shares of Litgrid are listed on the stock exchange. AB Litgrid’s shares are owned by the energy transmission and exchange group EPSO-G, 100% of which is owned by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania.
About LTG Infra:
LTG Infra is an LTG Group company that manages, modernises and develops the country’s railway network. The company is responsible for the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania.
The LTG Group consists of the holding company LTG and its main subsidiaries LTG Cargo, a freight transport company, LTG Link, a passenger transport company, and LTG Infra, a company that manages the country’s railway network and is responsible for its modernisation and development.
About RB Rail:
RB Rail, AS is a joint venture between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, established to implement Rail Baltica, the first infrastructure project in the Baltic States. RB Rail is the main coordinator of the Rail Baltica project.
RB Rail is submitting EU funding applications for Rail Baltica on behalf of the beneficiaries. It is also the central contracting authority in all countries for the procurement of studies, plans, designs, subsystems (control, command and signalling, and energy and electrification), raw materials, and key components for the global project, as well as for the cross-border railway sections.