On Thursday, the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) said that offshore wind farms planned for Estonia's west coast would severely limit Estonia's defensive capabilities. On Friday, Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) met with Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo to discuss the issue. On Monday, Pevkur will meet the commanders of the EDF Intelligence Center and the Estonian Navy.

"We will look at this issue together, assess what the risks are, and try to understand whether the previous agreement made five years ago, on the basis of which the compensation package amounting to tens of millions of euros, among other things, was decided, was an appropriate decision at the time or not," Pevkur said.

With the support of the European Union's NExtGenerationEU recovery plan, the state will build a new aerial radar station on the Kõpu peninsula. Passive sensors are also set to be purchased.

When applying for the €68 million project, the Estonian government promised the European Commission that in the fourth quarter of 2025, the Ministry of Defense would publish a notice on its website stating that the height restrictions for the construction of offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Livonia, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa and Vormsi, have been lifted.

Oidsalu: EDF must respect previous agreements

Meelis Oidsalu, who worked as deputy secretary general at the Estonian Ministry of Defense until 2021, said on Vikerraadio's "Uudis+" show that the impact of wind farms on early warning systems cannot be entirely ruled out even with mitigation measures in place.

"In that case, you have to look at the time perspective, what objects and agreements existed in the past and then respect these agreements and adapt accordingly," Oidsalu said. "The Defense Forces, as a state institution, still need to understand that while they have the right to express their concerns, the interests of society and the broader community also need to be considered."

However, the height of offshore wind farms is not the EDF's only concern. At least as important as what is happening in the air, as the EDF needs to see what is happening both above and below the water.

"Offshore wind farms have a significant impact on the operation of maritime surveillance systems. And it's not just the marine radars that are on shore. There are also passive surveillance systems or electronic intelligence systems. It's the acoustic intelligence systems and actually the use of weapons," said Commander of the Estonian Navy Crde. Ivo Värk. He explained that wind farms impose quite significant restrictions on the use of anti-ship missiles.

However, the height of offshore wind farms is not the EDF's only concern. At least as important as what is happening in the air, as the EDF needs to see what is happening both above and below the water.

"Offshore wind farms have a significant impact on the operation of maritime surveillance systems. And it's not just the marine radars that are on shore. There are also passive surveillance systems or electronic intelligence systems. It's the acoustic intelligence systems and actually the use of weapons," said Commander of the Estonian Navy Crde. Ivo Värk. He explained that wind farms impose quite significant restrictions on the use of anti-ship missiles.

Saare Wind Energy construction permit procedure close to end

Possible locations for offshore wind farms are set out in the maritime spatial plan, which has been approved by the Ministry of Defense.

However, a lot has changed in the meantime. For example, last year the navy took over responsibility for maritime border patrol from the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Estonia has also not yet acquired anti-ship missiles at the time when the maritime spatial planning was drawn up.

While the national authorities are working toward an agreement on what restrictions ought to be in place for offshore wind parks, the parks' development is moving ahead at a rapid pace. The Ministry of Climate has promised to launch a tender for offshore wind farms in the first half of 2025. The construction permit procedures for wind farms in the Gulf of Riga and on the west coast of Saaremaa are also underway,.

The permits will outline, among other things, how the wind turbines will be positioned in the wind farms, how many there will be and how high the turbines can be.

Liina Roosimägi, head of the construction activity licensing department at the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), said that the building permit procedure for Saare Wind Energy, which plans to build a wind farm west of Saaremaa, is the one now at the most advanced stage.

"There, the environmental impact assessment has been approved, and in fact we have also prepared a draft construction permit," Roosimägi said.

Utilitas Wind and Liivi Offshore, both of which are owned by Eesti Energia, are still waiting for the relevant environmental impact assessment reports.

So far, the Ministry of Defense has only set conditions on the height of wind turbines.

According to Liina Roosimägi, all these procedures still give a say to the authorities involved. She added that up to now, the feedback from the Ministry of Defense has focused on height restrictions. However, during the building permit procedure, the ministry has said that the restrictions will be lifted by 2027 at the latest, two years later than the European Commission promised.

In fact, this is of little importance, as it will still be some time before the wind turbines are actually erected. What is significant is that the ministry's feedback so far has only concerned the height of the wind turbines. Less attention has been paid to how the wind turbines are positioned in relation to each other or to the vibrations they may cause. The latter is important from the perspective of underwater acoustic reconnaissance.

This does not mean that such proposals can no longer be made, as developers always have to apply for planning permission after obtaining a building permit.

"The construction permit is definitely still a stage where we need to get approval from the Ministry of Defense," Roosimägi said. "In other words, if the Ministry of Defense does not approve the application for a construction permit and the project that is attached to it, then the TTJA cannot issue a building permit."

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