Government plans cables, generators and tree removal to curb storm damage

Lithuania’s government has approved a plan to strengthen electricity networks, communications and water supplies, with the measures expected to reduce the impact of storms on society fourfold, LRT reported. The plan is to be implemented by 2030 and is estimated to cost about 500 million euros.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said the measures include creating a large generator reserve, replacing overhead power lines in forested areas with cables and removing dangerous trees.

The government aims to restore electricity within 72 hours to at least 75 percent of customers affected by an extreme situation. The remaining customers should be supplied with generators.

“This will require not only physical work but also the simplification of certain procedures in areas where cabling will be carried out,” Sinkevičius said.

He said the 200 generators currently held in reserve by ESO represented a very small number and that the reserve should contain “thousands” of generators.

By 2030, the plan calls for 5,900 kilometres of power lines in forests to be replaced with cables. This will include 4,800 kilometres of 10-kilovolt lines and 1,100 kilometres of 0.4-kilovolt lines.

Where cabling is not the most effective solution, clearings will be maintained and dangerous trees removed by 2028. The work will cover 1,200 kilometres of routes, including 600 kilometres each along 10-kilovolt and 35-kilovolt lines.

Up to 40,000 small generators and accessories will also be needed across Lithuania. Municipalities and local administrative units would provide them to residents in remote and harder-to-reach areas where restoring the electricity network could take the longest.

The plan also provides for backup power sources at water supply and wastewater companies and at key mobile communications base stations.

Residents of remote areas would receive priority support for solar power systems, energy storage units and autonomous-operation solutions, with funding covering up to 100 percent of the costs. The support is expected to reach about 30,000 customers.

The government also plans to increase emergency response capacity by forming 200 additional crews by 2030, nearly doubling their number.

“What we are seeking will not happen overnight; everything will require time and money,” Sinkevičius said. He added that implementation of the measures and priorities would be monitored closely.