Saaremaa challenges plans for Estonia-Latvia power link

Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications plans to submit this year for government approval a special plan for an electricity link with Latvia via Saaremaa, but the island’s municipality still opposes an overhead line. ERR reports that the municipality also disputes a cost estimate showing an underground cable would be far more expensive.

The municipality supports building the 330-kilovolt link but says underground cables would have less impact on the landscape and landowners. A study commissioned by grid operator Elering and conducted by Tallinn University of Technology puts the cost of an overhead line on Saaremaa at €33 million and an underground cable at about €700 million.

Saaremaa municipality deputy mayor Priit Riim questioned the figures, citing EISER, an energy-sector cooperation group that compiles data on comparable European line-construction projects. He said the group’s figures put costs at €2 million to €4.6 million per kilometre, compared with €7 million per kilometre used in the current estimate. Riim said the municipality considers the university’s study credible and does not see a need for another international study.

The municipality has also proposed routing the link under the sea rather than across Saaremaa, said Ivari Rannama, head of the ministry’s land and spatial policy department. The ministry has not yet responded to the municipality, but largely intends to maintain the positions developed during the planning process, which has cost €1.5 million.

Rannama said a sea route was not among the alternatives considered and would be costly. The ministry does not intend to reopen the process to assess an additional option, he said.