Estonia, Latvia open cross-border power line
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the Latvian head of government Krisjanis Karins opened the third Estonian–Latvian electricity connection on Wednesday.
Kallas said the 330 kV overhead transmission line symbolically opened at the Kilingi-Nõmme Elering substation will help to ensure greater security of supply and efficient operation of the electricity market within the Baltic States, but will also create a precondition for disconnecting the Baltic States from the Russian electricity grid.
"Connecting the electricity systems of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to Europe will reduce our energy dependence on Russia and ensure security of electricity supply," said the prime minister. "The new Estonian–Latvian connection will also strengthen the intra-Estonian network in Western Estonia and the Pärnu region," she added.
Kallas pointed out that strengthening electricity connections has an important role to play in reducing carbon emissions and developing an environmentally friendly energy system in the long run.
This includes a planned Estonian–Latvian offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Riga which will be up to 1,000 MW to be built by 2030. The wind farm will produce approximately 3.5 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, which is approximately 40 per cent of the annual electricity consumption of Estonia. This would be the first part of a wider network of wind farms in the Baltic Sea.
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Editor: Helen Wright