The on-shore Aidu wind farm, in Lüganuse Rural Municipality, will produce sufficient energy to meet the needs of over 40,000 households, Delfi reported.

Investments into the project come to at around €100 million so far, with roughly the same amount to be invested in the area again.

The wind farm has been financed by Swedbank in order to promote the development of renewable energy in Estonia, together with one of Germany's leading commercial banks, NORD/LB – whose finance package comes to €87 million.

The facility features 17 turbines with a total capacity of 75MW, and once the long-running obstacles had finally been overcome, the wind farm was constructed in record time—less than a year.

Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) attended the inauguration, and that security is the top priority – which, he said, also includes energy security, even as that means finding a balance between defense, business and the environment.

The minister also acknowledged that there had been long-standing disputes regarding the project, adding his role includes resolving these.

The star studded opening ceremony included music from singer Ivo Linna and a panel discussion involving developers and representatives of the state and local government – the question of whether offshore wind farms are the only way to go if there are still untapped resources on dry land was one of the topics covered.

The project was the brainchild of businessmen brothers Oleg and Andres Sõnajalg, one half of a famous singing quartet back in the 1990s (the other two being their respective wives), and the Sõnajalgs retain 50 percent ownership, shared with German renewable energy company Dirkshof.

Oleg Sõnajalg credited the project's success to cooperation at both national and international levels, adding it was "difficult to pinpoint a single turning point, but long-term efforts and the alignment of numerous external factors culminated in a moment where a dream became reality,"

While the detailed plan for the project dates back to 2011, permission to 2013, progress was long hindered by various factors including concerns on the part of the ministry of defense that the wind turbines planned height would interfere with sensitive military radar.

Estonia aims to increase the share of renewable energy to at least 42 percent of the total by 2030 and reduce CO2 emissions by 70 percent of 1990 levels, by 2040.