Lithuania’s energy regulator approves €65.9 million in ESO investments

Lithuania’s National Energy Regulatory Council, known as VERT, has approved almost €66 million for ESO to replace overhead power lines with underground cables at 729 locations.

The regulator said the investment should reduce the risk of electricity outages and make the distribution network more resilient. Underground cables have less impact on the landscape and are less exposed to external damage than overhead lines, according to the announcement.

About 80 percent of electricity disconnections occur because of failures in the 10-kilovolt network. Around 68 percent of ESO’s 10 kV lines currently run overhead. In forested areas, overhead lines account for about 58 percent of roughly 10,000 kilometers of 10 kV lines, while difficult access makes repairs more complicated.

“

Underground cable lines, compared with overhead lines, have less impact on the landscape and are less vulnerable to external factors.

VERT chairman Renatas Pocius said replacing overhead lines would reduce vulnerability to strong winds, snow, ice and falling trees or branches. The approved investment is part of ESO’s 2025-2028 program to modernize the distribution system, particularly in forested areas. A government implementation plan calls for 2,000 kilometers of overhead 10 kV lines in such areas to be replaced by underground cables by the second half of 2028.

The decision follows a storm on Aug. 22 that killed one person and injured four others. At its peak, the storm disrupted electricity for more than 268,000 ESO customers and caused more than 9,000 network faults. More than a week later, slightly over 4,000 users still lacked power, and the government declared a national-level emergency over the storm’s effects and farmers’ losses.

“

The resilience of the electricity network to weather conditions is an important factor in ensuring reliable electricity supply for consumers.