Building permit procedure set in motion for third electricity connection between Estonia and Finland

Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (CPTRA) has initiated the building permit procedure for what will be the third electricity connection between Estonia and Finland.

The purpose of the building permit is to establish the right for the construction of the offshore section of EstLink 3, with a landing site in Hara Bay in Lääne-Nigula municipality.

In light of this, Estonian transmission system operator (TSO) Elering submitted a request to the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture to initiate a special national plan for the implementation of land-based network reinforcements related to the construction of the project.

According to the TSO, the establishment of a new electricity connection between Estonia and Finland requires the strengthening of the existing network and it is thus necessary to build a new high-voltage substation in Tallinn, which will be connected to Aruküla and Kiisa 330 kV substations through new overhead lines.  

“Due to the additional power flows and general electrification due to the construction of Estlink 3, the existing network around Tallinn does not have a sufficiently high capacity in view of future perspectives, so an additional substation must be built in the area. In order to connect it, overhead lines with a voltage of 330 kV must be built to the substations of Kiisa and Aruküla,” Elering’s Board Member and Asset Management Manager Reigo Kebja said.

The new substation will be located in the area of ​​Lake Ülemiste, with the exact location to be revealed during special planning.

On the Estonian side, the planned Estlink 3 consists of a direct current offshore cable, an onshore cable, a converter station near Aulepa in Lääne-Nigula municipality, and a new 330 kV overhead line on land that connects Estlink 3 to the existing 330 kV network in Western Estonia. 

The connection is a project of European common interest and is planned to be built from EU funds.

Estonia currently has two electricity connections with Finland, including EstLink 1 with a capacity of 350 MW, completed in 2006, and EstLink 2 with a capacity of 650 MW, completed in 2014. EstLink 2 is out of operation at the moment due to cable system failure and is expected back online by August 31.

Elering and its Finnish counterpart signed a memorandum in June 2022 agreeing to start work on the establishment of EstLink 3. The planned connection will have a capacity of 700 MW, with a final investment decision (FID) anticipated in 2026-2027 and completion in 2035.