OSLO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Lithuania electricity prices fell to a record low last week as imports from the Nordic countries rose via a new underwater power link to Sweden, the Baltic state’s grid operator Litgrid said on Tuesday.

The average price in Lithuania fell to 27.70 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) last week, down 14 percent on the previous week and 33 percent on the same period last year.

“That was the lowest weekly price in Lithuania since the country joined the Nordic power market (in 2012),” Litgrid said in a statement.

“This was a reaction to the start of trial operations of the Lithuanian-Swedish power link, NordBalt, on Feb. 18.”

Testing of of the 700 MW cable, built with the support of the European Union and expected to reduce Lithuania’s dependence on power imports from Russia, had been delayed by a fire at a converter station in Sweden.

Last week Lithuania imported 81 percent of its electricity, with two thirds of all imports coming from the Nordic countries, where the average price stood at 21 euros/MWh.

More imports from the Nordic countries meant that imports from Russia and Belarus fell, Litgrid added.

In January Lithuania imported 49 percent of its electricity from the Nordic countries, with prices averaging 50.30 euros/MWh in Lithuania and 29.90 euros/MWh in the Nordics. (Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by David Goodman)