Last weekend brought beautiful winter weather to Viljandi County. Unfortunately, the snowfall did not bring joy to everyone, as heavy snow and wind caused widespread power outages in the area. In some settlements, the electricity was out for several hours, while in others, power cuts were sporadic throughout the weekend. Generators had to be used to ensure water supply and keep heating plants running.

According to Karel Tölp, mayor of Põhja-Sakala Municipality, efforts to make power lines weatherproof have not been very successful. "One issue arises here, another there, for various reasons. But Elektrilevi and the state certainly need to reflect on this to ensure adequate funding for investments. We're seeing the consequences of insufficient investment now — it would have been much better if more lines had been placed underground, as there would be far fewer problems," Tölp said.

Elektrilevi, Estonia's main electricity distribution network operator, manages over 60,000 kilometers of power lines. As of now, 75 percent of the network has been weatherproofed, said Elektrilevi's CEO Mihkel Härm. "Every year, we add about 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers of weatherproof lines. But as long as parts of the grid consist of old, bare-wire lines, storms and heavy snowfalls will continue to cause outages. The good news is that things are improving year by year," Härm explained.

Certain regions stand out in terms of resilience, including Harju County and the western coast, along with the islands. According to Härm, the network on the islands is more robust than in central Estonia, as the islands are more prone to severe storms.

In Harju County, weatherproofing of the electricity network is approaching 90 percent, Härm noted. "The logic there has been that if something happens to the network, a large number of customers are affected, so we've prioritized that area. In contrast, in Lääne County, only 65 percent of the network is weatherproof. However, we've focused more on maintaining and expanding line corridors there, which also has a very positive impact on reducing outages," he added.

Elektrilevi is using a combined approach to weatherproof the network, placing some cables underground while others remain as overhead insulated lines. The newly built network is predominantly insulated overhead lines. According to Elektrilevi's projections, at least 85 percent of the electricity network should be weatherproof within the next decade.

"This depends on how much funding we have for investments. If we wanted to move the entire network underground, it would cost €2.5 billion, which is too expensive. However, our development plan outlines a more optimal scenario that requires €1.6 billion in investments over ten years — about €160 million annually. With that, we would achieve 90 percent weatherproofing by 2035," Härm explained.

This year, Elektrilevi's total investment volume will be around €150 million. However, this amount must also cover tasks such as replacing substations and handling connection-related investments.

The state has allocated over €50 million to Elektrilevi through support agreements, some of which has already been used, Härm noted.

"Of that amount, €13 million went to developing the networks on the islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa and most of those investments are now nearly complete. The remaining €38 million, combined with EU funds, is being used to build weatherproof networks across Estonia and increase grid capacity so that new electricity producers can connect to the grid," the Elektrilevi CEO said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!