The prime minister expressed hope that the decoupling will go ahead without causing disruption to consumers in Estonia, despite tensions in the region in the wake of the Estlink 2 cable sabotage.

"In the energy system, backup plans are usually made, and sometimes even backups for those backup plans. In this region, we've done both — backup plans and backups for those plans," he told "Esimene stuudio."

Michal conceded that power cable failures, such as the damage to the Estlink 2 cable in the Gulf of Finland at the end of last year, can be inconvenient but are typically manageable.

"However this also means inconvenience because we need those connections. From an energy perspective, it is inconvenient, but nothing we can't manage. I think everyone understands that if such things happen repeatedly, and not just due to poor seamanship, it indicates that Russia is trying to influence countries that support Ukraine," Michal added.

The prime minister also pointed out that the downtime of Estlink 2 results in electricity price increases, estimating a rise of about 1.4 cents per KWh.

"Estonia needs external energy connections because island-mode operation would make electricity more expensive. But of course, there must be a backup plan if someone, whether by accident or malicious intent, breaks the connections we need," the head of government added.

Looking ahead to Estonia's electricity grid disconnecting from the Russian system and connecting to the continental European system, Michal expressed confidence that the process would be seamless.

"Desynchronization will ideally be carried out by Estonian energy experts in such a way that we won't even notice. There will be ceremonial events, the media will count the minutes, then count more minutes. From the energy experts' point of view, it should go something like that," he said..

However, Michal stressed that Estonia must be prepared for a range of other scenarios as well.

"Being ready for any situation in Estonia is also well worth it, as Independence Day is approaching, and everyone can recall that it is important to be prepared for different situations. We can't assume that our neighbor will suddenly become friendlier or more charitable."

In conclusion, Michal noted that Russia will likely continue its "relatively crude attacks" and attempts to destabilize democratic states, underscoring the importance of preparedness. "That means we have to be prepared. And maybe that readiness will help us cope better."

"There is a Finnish saying that I really like, which says that we shouldn't be scared or fearful, yet we should be prepared. I think Estonia's attitude should be the same here," the premier concluded.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine during which it failed to take Kyiv began on February 24, 2022, Independence Day in Estonia.

Estonia, together with Latvia, and Lithuania, is set to disconnect its electricity grid from the Russian and Belarusian network (BRELL) on February 8, while from February 9 the grid will be part of the continental European network.

More on synchronization with the European grid and what it means is here.

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