Renewable energy expert: Eesti Energia needs Tootsi wind farm
Wind energy expert Martin Kruus said Eesti Energia has long had an interest in the site of Tootsi wind farm and that it was necessary to acquire it for the public offering of shares.
State-owned energy company Eesti Energia made the winning bid of €51.5 million for the land for Tootsi wind farm at an auction on Tuesday. The sale price was four-times more than estimated. The State Forest Management Centre (RMK) owned and sold the plot of land for the wind farm.
"The Tootsi project has a long history and it is known Eesti Energia was very interested in the property. There have been various legal obstacles to not being able to carry out this transaction. This was probably one of the factors that Eesti Energia definitely needed for this project. They have not concealed it, they have said it publicly that they need such a major development project for the public offering of shares," Kruus told ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera".
Kruus said the Tootsi development is also important because it is becoming increasingly difficult to establish large wind farms in Estonia, as most of the territory is under the ownership of the Ministry of Defense, where wind turbines cannot be built.
"As plans have already been established at this location and it is possible [to build a wind farm]. It is a much more interesting object," he said.
The price of electricity for the consumer is not affected by the construction of the wind farm, he believes.
"We are part of a large Nordic energy market and our wind farm will have no effect on Nordic energy prices. What may be affecting it is whether or not this particular wind farm will receive renewable energy support. This is already a purely political decision, whether the state will, in a way, pay itself, to its own project, benefits and to what extent," he said.
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Editor: Helen Wright