Minister: Offshore wind farms are go, EDF security concerns being addressed
While the drive to build offshore wind farms off Estonia's coasts is not to be halted, Estonia Defense Forces's (EDF) concerns over their impact on surveillance, intelligence, and weapon systems must still be taken on board, and solutions are in the pipeline, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has said.
The minister has met with EDF Intelligence Center (Luurekeskus) chief Col. Ants Kiviselg and naval commander Cdr Ivo Värk, to discuss the potential impact of offshore wind farms on Estonia's national defense capabilities.
Minister Pevkur said that there is no need to halt wind farm development at this time, as "western maritime surveillance" issues relating to these projects are manageable, and will not disrupt current operations.
"Regarding air surveillance, all existing measures are sufficient for conducting this," Pevkur said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the EDF had raised concerns about the impact of wind farms on early warning systems and intelligence gathering.
"We still need to seek an agreement on this," he said, referring to ongoing discussions about the effect of solar farms on security, particularly in the easternmost regions of Estonia.
While the EDF has indicated that wind farms could complicate intelligence collection and weapon system use, Pevkur emphasized that solutions, including compensation measures, are being put in place.
These include adjustments to intelligence capabilities and the continued evaluation of the impact of renewable energy projects on national defense.
Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur had last week also stressed that wind farm development in Estonia will be carefully coordinated with national security needs, balancing green energy goals with defense priorities.
He noted that compensatory measures, such as advanced radar systems, are being implemented to address concerns raised by EDF, who warn that wind farms may interfere with critical radar and surveillance systems.
Former EDF Commander Tarmo Kõuts pointed to Sweden's decision to halt offshore wind farms for security reasons, urging Estonia to consider the potential risks to defense infrastructure.
A wind farm development in Aidu, Ida-Viru County, was for many years delayed in its construction over concerns the defense ministry had raised about interference with its radar. However, both radar and wind turbine tech have moved on since then, and the onshore wind farm is now up and running.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aleksander Krjukov
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporter Vahur Lauri.
