Elektrilevi aims to weatherproof 85 percent of power grid within 10 years

Three-quarters of Estonia's power grid has been weatherproofed so far. Electricity distribution system operator (DSO) Elektrilevi aims to increase this figure to at least 85 percent over the next decade, but doing so will require significant investments.
Viljandi County was treated to beautiful winter weather this past weekend. Not everyone was a fan, however, as the wind and snowfall caused widespread power outages in the region.
These outages left some areas without electricity for a few hours; others experienced intermittent outages all weekend. Generators had to be used to maintain water supply and keep heating plants operational.
Põhja-Sakala Municipal Mayor Karel Tölp says progress in weatherproofing power lines has been less than satisfactory.
"Sometimes it's out here, sometimes there — and for various reasons," Tölp noted.
"Elektrilevi certainly has a lot to think about — as does the state — to ensure [investments] are funded," he continued. "Now we're seeing the consequences of it being 'too expensive' all the time. [We want] more [lines] to be buried underground, because it would significantly reduce concerns."
Elektrilevi maintains just over 60,000 kilometers of power lines across the country, and according to CEO Mihkel Härm, 75 percent of the grid has been weatherproofed to date.
"Some 1,000-2,000 additional kilometers of lines are weatherproofed each year," Härm stated. "Of course, it must be taken into account that as long as older, bare-wire sections remain part of the grid, storms and heavy snowfall will lead to outages. What we can say is that things are improving year by year."
Regions like Harju County and Estonia's west coast, together with the islands, stand out.
According to the Elektrilevi CEO, the grid on the islands is stronger than in Central Estonia because the risk of severe storms is higher there. Meanwhile, the weatherproofing of Harju County's power lines is approaching 90 percent.
"The logic with that has been that if something happens in the grid, many customers end up without power, so the focus has been on those areas," Härm explained.
"In Lääne County, for example, only 65 percent of the grid is weatherproof, but we've also invested more in maintaining and expanding line corridors there," he continued. "That has also had a very positive impact on reducing the number of faults."
Burying entire grid would cost €2.5 billion
The Estonian DSO itself envisions a power grid that is at least 85 percent weatherproof a decade from now. According to Härm, however, this depends on how much funding is available for investments.
"Burying the entire grid would cost €2.5 billion," the Elektrilevi CEO noted, adding that this is prohibitively expensive.
"However, our development plan has outlined an optimal scenario that requires €1.6 billion in investments over ten years — averaging €160 million annually," he continued. "And then we could achieve a 90 percent weatherproofed grid by 2035."
This year, Elektrilevi's total investment volume is expected to be around €150 million. However, this amount is also slated to cover the replacement of substations as well as grid connection investments. The state has allocated over €50 million to the DSO via support agreements, part of which has already been utilized.
"Of that, €13 million went toward developing the grid on [the islands of] Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, and these investments are now nearly all complete," Härm highlighted.
"And the remaining €38 million is combined with EU funds, and is being used to build a weatherproof grid across Estonia, and to increase the grid's transmission capacity, enabling new electricity producers to connect to the grid," he added.
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Editor: Urmet Kook, Aili Vahtla