Estonia is due to make the switch, a move Kilk described on "Esimene stuudio" as complex but necessary.

"The entire synchronization process which we are tackling is very much a 'layer cake'; the technical aspect to what needs to be done was already known about a decade ago," Kilk continued.

"The challenging part is that the mechanisms from the Soviet-era system we are still somewhat part of work in a way, but need to be made to work differently. That is what makes this unique for us," the Elering CEO added.

One immediate challenge is adapting IT systems to the new market dynamics, Kilk said.

"This is not so much a reliability risk as it is that, for instance, an IT system which is a bit glitchy at first could lead to confusion. We'll have to start purchasing reserves from a range of market participants, and this requires very extensive IT systems. If it falters at first, there will be confusion, immediately. But these are the kinds of things that are essentially a form of 'growing pains.'"

Despite the potential hiccups, Kilk assured viewers that most consumers won't see the lights flickering on and off, or things of that nature.

"The electricity always just comes out of the wall at home, and as long as it does, you don't think about it. This is how it should be in February next year too," he went on.

External risks, such as failures in power plants or issues like the recent damage to international connections like Estlink or cables running from Estonia to Finland and Sweden, will remain a concern, but this is not something peculiar to synchronization, Kilk explained.

"It would certainly be an issue if many power plants were to go offline at the same time, or if an external connection were to fail at the same time. These kinds of issues don't represent new scenarios for us. We will just have to monitor them more carefully," Kilk went on.

Preparation is key to mitigating risks, he added.

Estonia has been gearing its system for "insular operation," in order to manage its electricity system more independently.

"The real purpose of this synchronization project is to develop the capability to manage this independently. During this particular winter, we are trying it out for the first time. But the only risk is that when you are learning something new, during the learning process, you might stumble the one time. We hope the fall won't be too hard, but the possibility exists," Kilk added.

In his view, the risks are in any case manageable.

"Compared with the situation a few years ago, when we were part of the Russian grid – well, the risks were considerably greater for us then. Now the risks are different. My gut feeling says nothing will get worse due to the synchronization."

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