Lithuania is strengthening a new power substation near Russia with reinforced defences against drone strikes, explosives and sabotage threats.
Lithuania is incorporating extensive security measures into the construction of a major power substation near Russia as concerns grow over potential sabotage and drone attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
The Gižai substation, located about 30 kilometres west of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, will become a key node of the Harmony Link electricity interconnection with Poland and strengthen the Baltic region’s energy security.
Its planned defences include reinforced fencing capable of resisting an explosives-laden vehicle, sensors designed to detect possible tunnels and reinforced concrete structures around transformers to protect them from drone strikes.
“Previously, when designing our grid, we planned for natural disasters. Now, we think about all possible hybrid and non-hybrid threats,” Litgrid CEO Andrius Šemeškevičius said.
The 35-hectare site is being designed so that a single drone strike would affect only a limited amount of equipment. Buildings will also be positioned away from the perimeter fence to provide additional protection against threats such as incendiary attacks.
“We are designing Gizai for a new reality… we are protecting ourselves from multiple Shahed drones, which could crash-land with 100 kilograms of explosives,” Šemeškevičius said.
The facility will include reinforced concrete “sarcophagi” around critical equipment. The concrete will be specially manufactured with plastic fibres to strengthen it and prevent it from breaking apart during an attack.
“We cannot use simple concrete, it needs to be custom-made, for stronger resistance,” Šemeškevičius said.
The design also includes duplicate units for key equipment, allowing the substation to continue operating if some components are damaged or destroyed. Replacing some specialised equipment could take years.
“You cannot down a Shahed drone, or a drone with optical cable attached. So we need reinforced-concrete sarcophagi around equipment,” Šemeškevičius said.
The protected equipment will require artificial cooling inside the concrete structures, adding to the project’s cost.
“Without all this, we might not have power at all,” he said.
Harmony Link is a joint Lithuania-Poland project designed to integrate the Baltic electricity system more closely with continental Europe. The Gižai substation will serve as the main hub through which the new interconnection will connect Lithuania and Poland.
The route passes through the Suwałki Gap, a narrow stretch of Poland and Lithuania between Russia and its ally Belarus that has long been regarded as a strategic security concern for NATO.
Security concerns have intensified following a series of sabotage attacks targeting Germany’s electricity grid, which Berlin blamed on Moscow. Russia has denied involvement.
Intelligence sources have also warned of concerns over a possible false-flag drone attack aimed at testing NATO unity. Such an operation would seek to create the impression that responsibility for an attack lies with another party.
A regional grid official described Harmony Link as critical to Lithuania’s energy security, saying the timing of the additional security measures reflects rising regional tensions and sabotage threats.
Lithuania’s military is advising Litgrid on physically securing critical energy infrastructure and preparing the facility to withstand modern threats.
The additional security measures are expected to add at least €48 million to the cost of the substation, with the figure potentially rising if geopolitical circumstances worsen.
Energy Minister Lukas Savickas said Lithuania would ask the European Union later this month to cover at least half of the additional costs.
“Our consistent position is… these costs should not fall solely on our shoulders,” Savickas said.
A senior Polish official also called for greater EU support, warning that countries bordering Russia could lose competitiveness if their companies are forced to absorb the cost of additional security.
Wojciech Wrochna, Poland’s deputy energy minister responsible for strategic energy infrastructure, said Harmony Link should not become “the most costly interconnection in Europe” and urged the EU to increase funding for grid security.
“Our European partners need to change their mindset,” Wrochna said. “The issue extends beyond Harmony Link. It affects the entire energy system.”
The Baltic states and Poland sought €382 million from the EU last year to strengthen vulnerable parts of their existing power grids, but only €112 million was approved.
