LEVA - News

Updated list of applicable standards for LBN 261‑15 The Electrical installations in Buildings

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:10:00 +0000

On 8 January 2026, the Latvian National Standardization Institute Latvijas standarts (LVS) published the updated list of applicable standards for the Latvian Construction Standard LBN 261‑15 “Internal Electrical Installations”.

The list was prepared by the Ministry of Economics in cooperation with Technical Committees STK/46, STK/48 and STK/51, with active expert participation from the Latvian Electrical Materials Wholesalers Association.

The updated list entered into force on 9 January 2026 and replaced all previously published versions.

The changes include updating specific Latvian (LVS), harmonized (LVS HD), and international/European (LVS EN IEC) standards to their latest editions, adding newly applicable standards, and removing those that have become obsolete, ensuring alignment with technological developments and current safety requirements.

Guidelines for Low-Voltage Power Distribution Boards v1.0

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:58:00 +0000

🔧 Latvian Electrical Material Wholesalers' Association (LEVA) Guidelines for Low-Voltage Power Distribution Boards

The Latvian Electrical Material Wholesalers Association (LEVA), in cooperation with leading Latvian electrical designers, low-voltage switchgear manufacturers, and electrical engineers, has developed official guidelines (v1.0) to support the specification, design, manufacturing, and commissioning of low-voltage power distribution boards.

Applicable to boards up to 1000 V AC or 1500 V DC
Suited for indoor and outdoor installations
Intended for energy generation, distribution, conversion, and control systems

📐 Structure of the Guidelines

12 parameter groups: including short-circuit resistance, installation methods, IP ratings, and more
Excel-based configuration template with over 130 selectable technical attributes
Standard distribution board types: main distribution, outdoor cabinets, control and automation units

🛠️ Commissioning Requirements

Aligned with Latvian regulations, EU directives, and IEC/LVS standards
Outlines required documentation, test protocols, CE marking, and routine verifications
Includes a control form template to support acceptance and compliance checks

🔗 Document Access

Phoenix Contact UAB permanent representative office in Latvia has joined the Latvian Electrical Material Wholesalers Association LEVA

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 14:38:00 +0000

Phoenix Contact in Baltic States (Phoenix Contact UAB)

Phoenix Contact Baltic States was established in 2005 as a subsidiary to service the Baltic States market. Phoenix Contact Baltic States hub in Vilnius is a Lithuanian company with offices in Latvia and Estonia.

As part of the company’s global commitment, Phoenix Contact localized approach enables us to be focused and proactive in our response to our diverse customer base, with rapidly changing needs, and gives us an ability to support modern logistics techniques and operations.

Phoenix Contact, headquartered in Blomberg, Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Germany, is a manufacturer of industrial automation, interconnection, and interfaces. The company develops terminal blocks, relays, connectors, signal conditioners, power supplies, controllers & PLCs, I/O systems, Industrial Ethernet, controller system cabling, PCB terminal blocks & connectors, and surge suppression.[1] In addition, Phoenix Contact manufactures products for use with Modbus, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, CANopen, PROFIBUS and PROFINET networks.

The company was founded in 1923 in Essen, Germany and in 2021, accounted for annual sales in excess of 2.97 billion Euro (approximately US$3.1 billion). Phoenix Contact manufactures in over 10 nations: Germany, USA, China, India, Poland, Greece, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden and Argentina and employs 20,300 employees in 50 international subsidiaries

Web

Arnis Čuba

Area Sales, LATVIA

Ulbrokas 23, Riga,LV-1021

Mob.: +371 26363873

E-mail: acuba@phoenixcontact.com

Prysmian Group participated in the large-scale renovation project of the Lääne-Harju railway line

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 11:01:00 +0000

The member of Latvian Electrical Material Wholesalers' Association (LEVA) "Prysmian Group Baltics" participated in the large-scale renovation project of the Lääne-Harju railway line

Prysmian Group, known in Estonia primarily as a manufacturer of construction and network cables, is also a very strong player in the sector of infrastructure cables. The company participated in the recently completed large-scale renovation project of the Lääne-Harju railway lines and is preparing and contributing to the future – currently the most exciting project in the region is Rail Baltica.

“Railway is not just sleepers and rails, but it also includes very important infrastructure that allows the railway to operate. It is interesting that, while about 150 years ago, 400 kilometres of railway could be completed in a few years, with today’s technology it takes much more time because the projects are very complex. The railway includes traffic lights, counters, track routings and information panels, which are connected with the help of cables in one way or another. All to ensure railway safety!” explains Andero Hännikäinen, sales manager of the industrial segment of Prysmian Group Baltics AS.

He adds that there are many nuances and special solutions in railway projects, in which Prysmian Group has years of experience. “A cable is not just a cable that fits everywhere! For some projects, well-known cables are suitable, while for other projects we have to look for more specific cables in our portfolio, but sometimes no suitable cable has been produced yet and in this case, it is worth asking us for custom solutions. We keep an eye on the development of railways in Estonia and the rest of the world, and the construction of railways fits perfectly with our sustainability principles, meaning that trains are definitely an environmentally sustainable mode of transport that is worth developing. We welcome the plans to have the train run between Tartu and Riga and to develop Rail Baltica, which will open up better logistics opportunities for us to Europe.”

The focus of Prysmian Group is to provide innovative solutions for railway projects and to definitely serve more local developments than before. “As rapid urbanisation continues, public transport needs to adapt, and in addition to the infrastructure problems arising from the development of cities, the railway industry must take into account the growing expectations of customers and the rapid development of technology,” says Hännikäinen. “Railway systems have gone through an intensive period of modernisation over the years. Developments require cables with ever higher performance, reliability and safety.”

Prysmian Group has 25 product development centres around the world, where various materials and products are constantly being developed. The company offers medium and low voltage power, communication, control and signalling cables, fibre optic cables, data cables, armoured, shielded, halogen-free and vibration-free cables and a wide range of products to meet the requirements of various specifications in different regions of the world.

The renovation of the Lääne-Harju railway lines was the first railway cooperation project of that size in Estonia for the company. Prysmian Group partnered with AS Eesti Raudtee, the contracting authority, and Mipro Oy, the contract winner, to modernise the traffic control system of the Lääne-Harju railway lines for € 16.5 million. The aim of the project was to make railway management, operation and traffic control as efficient, safe and automated as possible.

The contract partner, the Finnish family company Mipro Oy, has been operating in the field of railway systems and safety in Finland for several decades; the contract for the modernisation of the Lääne Harju traffic control system was the first for the company on this side of the gulf. In addition to railway motion control systems, 150 employees are actively engaged in the field of energy system automation and wastewater systems.

According to Margus Tali, member of the management board of Mipro Eesti OÜ, the company offers tailor-made and turnkey solutions (both hardware and software) for automation systems and railway traffic control systems, starting from the design and supply of materials and equipment to the testing and commissioning of projects. “To date, we have launched seven modern microprocessor-based control systems for centralised power supply to railway stations in Estonia, and as a new solution, we introduced four-signal automatic blocking between two stations in Estonia. Such a system will also allow trains to travel in the opposite direction based on virtual signals,” he explains. “Technology is developing fast, so it’s great to have partners like Prysmian Group who can keep up with us.”

Tali adds that cooperation with Prysmian Group has been very good. “We worked together to build rail motion systems and have taught each other new things. The great thing is that they have a separate department specialising in railway cables, and you can communicate with Prysmian in Estonian and, if necessary, exchange technical information directly with the factory and get a quick solution to any question. Competition in the market is absolutely there, but Prysmian Group is at such a good level that it was possible to negotiate with them even when it was necessary to receive some products faster than planned.”

According to Hännikäinen, the project fell on hard times when supply chains were affected by the corona pandemic and the war. “But we managed. Our advantage is also that, depending on the situation, we can use different factories of the group and change production between units, without bothering customers with these problems. There tends to be a lot of unexpectedness built into long-term projects and, in our experience, even more so in railway construction and wind farms than in general construction. But our trump cards are local representation and international backing. We are local, we know the market and can quickly respond to various questions and changing needs.”

The article was published in ehitusuudised.ee and baltics.prysmiangroup.com

Guidelines for the installation of photovoltaic systems Solar PV

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 15:31:00 +0000

LEEA certification center has created Guidelines for the installation of photovoltaic systems (within microgeneration)

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES:

https://bleea.lv/images/pdf/vadlinijas_01092023.pdf

Actual relevant Standardization updates from 25th of July 2023

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:39:00 +0000

We are pleased to inform you that I inform you that on 25.07.2023 The Ministry of Economics approved additions to the list of applicable standards (PSS), which refer to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation of June 9, 2015 No. 294 "Rules on the fulfillment of the requirements of the Latvian building code LBN 261-15 "Internal electrical installation of buildings"".

The information is published on the LVS website, under the Legislation>Applicable standards tab.

https://www.lvs.lv/page?slug=piemrojamie-standarti

Detailed information can be found: open the applicable standards, then, typing LBN 261-15 in the search engine, which opens a tab listing the approvals of the Ministry of Economy.
https://www.lvs.lv/page?slug=piemrojamie-standarti

The latest additions prepared by LEVA and LVS are covered by the entry dated 25.07.2023. The list of all supplemented standards can be viewed on 25.07.2023.list of standards (tab <Related Standards>).

https://www.lvs.lv/lv/legislations/products/1261

We would like to draw attention to the fact that 21.12.2015 is also included here. amendments/corrections of the standards included in the list and their canceled editions replaced with new ones.

It remains in effect on 21.12.2015. the list approved by the Ministry of Economics 411-1-10223(3), which can be viewed on 21.12.2015. list of standards, (tab <Related Standards>)

https://www.lvs.lv/lv/legislations/products/1230

In force: The Standard LVS EN 13501-6+A1:2023 "Fire classification of construction products and building elements - Part 6: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests on power, control and communication cables"

Thu, 18 May 2023 19:03:00 +0000

On April 20, of this year, a European standard was registered as a Latvian standard (LVS), including:

• LVS EN 13501-6+A1:2023 "Classification of building structures and building elements according to their reaction to fire. Part 6: Classification, using fire reaction test data of power, control, and communication cables"

https://www.lvs.lv/lv/products/158560

On the other hand, this year on May 18, LVS also registered the Latvian Translation of the above European standard:

• LVS EN 13501-6+A1:2023 L“Būvkonstrukciju un būvelementu klasifikācija pēc to ugunsreakcijas. 6.daļa: Klasifikācija, pielietojot spēka, vadības un sakaru kabeļu ugunsreakcijas testu datus”

https://www.lvs.lv/lv/products/158860

UTU Powel SIA has joined the Latvian Electrical material Wholesalers Association LEVA

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 12:51:00 +0000

UTU Powel SIA has joined the Latvian Electrical Materials Wholesalers Association LEVA

UTU group brings together the best brands. UTU's partners are well-known and recognized quality suppliers in their product field. UTU Powel SIA stores and sells the highest quality electrotechnical materials and solutions. Together with reliable business partners, the company focuses on customer training and full service. The goal of UTU is to establish long-term cooperation with clients. The professional UTU team is ready to help you find the most suitable, economical and technical solution for your needs.

The friendly and professional team of UTU is well-known in Latvia for its unlimited work abilities in the sale and maintenance of electrotechnical materials:

Distribution cabinets, modular devices, cable ducts, wiring accessories, other electrotechnical components;
Power electronics products - UPS, AC/DC, DC/DC, DC/AC equipment, voltage stabilizers;
Medium voltage and low voltage installations and equipment.

UTU Powel SIA belongs to the UTU group. UTU Group is a Finnish family-owned company founded in 1919. "We are a Nordic player in the electricity industry with the heart of a Finnish family business," began UTU.

Subsidiary companies of the UTU Group operate in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. In total, 170 employees work in the UTU group. In 2021, the net turnover of the UTU group increased to 48 million euros.

More about our members > https://www.leva.lv/members/

Actual relevant Standardization updates from 20th of February 2023

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:19:00 +0000

Step by step towards our Target: to improve the business environment of the building electrical installation materials industry in Latvia in order to facilitate fair competition among businessmen working in the industry.

We are pleased to inform you that on February 20 of this year, the Ministry of Economics supported the proposal jointly prepared by Latvian Electrical Materials Wholesalers Association LEVA and Latvian standards - LVS experts for the inclusion of additional standards and their amendments/corrections in the list of applicable standards (PSS) LBN 261 -15 to fulfill requirements.

The list of applicable standards is available on the Latvian national standard LVS website: https://www.lvs.lv/lv/legislations/1230 (see Related standards).

As well as for each of the standards in the LVS catalog, you can find information about the connection with legislation, for example, https://www.lvs.lv/lv/products/156334 (see Cabinet of Ministers' regulations and laws).

A brief update on the actual Latvian building electrical installation Regulations and the Applicable Standards

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 07:41:00 +0000

A brief update on the actual Latvian building electrical installation Regulations and the Applicable Standards

A. Latvian building electrical installation regulations LBN261-15

Regulations from 2015:

https://likumi.lv/ta/id/274674-noteikumi-par-latvijas-buvnormativu-lbn-261-15-eku-iekseja-elektroinstalacija-

Amendments 2022:

https://likumi.lv/ta/id/335765-grozijumi-ministru-kabineta-2015-gada-9-junija-noteikumos-nr-294-noteikumi-par-latvijas-buvnormativu-lbn-261-15-eku-iekseja

B. Standards applicable to LBN261-15

14.10.2022 List 2022:

https://www.lvs.lv/lv/legislations/products/1230