Minister: 400 new wind turbines needed in Estonia to meet 2030 climate goals

Estonia would need to build up to 400 more wind turbines, onshore and offshore, to meet 2030 climate goals, Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt (Reform) said.
Speaking to "Esimene stuudio," Sutt said: "Perhaps two terawatt-hours is an abstract number for many," referring to national consumption needs.
"Currently, Estonia has around a couple of hundred wind turbines. In order to reach our 2030 goal of producing 100 percent of our consumed electricity from renewable energy, we would need an additional 200 to 400 turbines," the minister went on.
Sutt said the goal for the next onshore wind farm tender is to launch it in May.
He said: "In terms of volume, market players also have various suggestions — to do it in one cycle, as two terawatt-hours, or to break it up. There is certainly an expectation from the market side that there should be more time given to make offers, since the obligations, once they place their bids, become binding. But I think we'll be able to sort out the terms accordingly."
Several factors led to a state aid scheme for offshore wind farms being dropped, a source of controversy earlier in the year. "Among other things, the scheme wasn't something developers were willing to invest under. So in that sense, I think taking a step back was a very correct decision, while now we have much broader opportunities to look at how we can make renewable energy investments more attractive for everyone," Sutt explained.

With the green transition more broadly, Sutt denied that this had been reversed in the face of changed economic, political and security conditions. "The global trends toward a cleaner economy are all very much intact, and I personally believe these are irreversible. We are at the start of a transformational change," he went on.
"I think the bigger picture is that people desire to live in a cleaner environment, while newer clean tech is more competitive, and better for the environment. I believe that's the direction we're heading," Sutt continued, adding that about the only aspect which has changed is expectations on how quickly we should continue along that trajectory.
Sutt's ministerial title attracted attention when the new Reform-Eesti 200 coalition was sworn in last month. While he replaced, in effect, the climate minister, the climate ministry itself remains intact.
Sutt, who was IT and foreign trade minister in Kaja Kallas' first (Reform-Center) administration 2021–2022, said that this time around he actually chose the title of Minister of Energy and Environment (Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister) himself.
Two people, both Sutt's party-mates, held the post of climate minister during the time it was in operation: Current Prime Minister Kristen Michal, and latterly Yoko Alender.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Andrew Whyte