Another Finland-Estonia electricity interconnection shut down due to technical fault

After the second HVDC electricity interconnection between Estonia and Finland named EstLink 2 went offline due to cable system failure, Estonian transmission system operator (TSO) Elering reported that a fault had also been detected in the first electrical connection between the two countries.

EstLink 2, officially launched in 2014 with a capacity of 650 MW, shut down in the first hour of January 26, with the approximate location of the fault revealed a few days later on the Estonian coast.

Elering said that the fault was located in “a geotechnically demanding area” which is why EstLink 2 will remain out of operation until August 31, 2024.

The Estonian TSO now reported that EstLink 1 was out of service due to a technical fault. The electrical connection was switched off at 4:26 a.m. on March 9 on the Finnish side, while the power cable remained intact.  

According to Elering, the cause of the accident is a technical fault at the converter station in Espoo and efforts are being made to clarify the cause of the failure. 

“Estonia’s security of supply is guaranteed and there is no threat to it. At the time of the shutdown, the electricity transmission was in the direction from Estonia to Finland with low power,” Elering said.

EstLink 1 started operating in 2006 and has a capacity of 350 MW. The link crosses the Gulf of Finland and is connected to substations near Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland.