Estonia picks site for joint offshore wind project with Latvia

The government of Estonia has chosen the sea area west of Sorve as the location for the joint 1,000-MW offshore wind project with Latvia.

Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Riina Sikkut stated on Thursday that the particular area is more suitable for the Elwind project than others because of its better wind and ice conditions. Moreover, it will not affect the known bird migration routes, the habitats of seals and of other aquatic life.

Now, Estonia’s Environmental Investment Centre (EIC) needs to file a building permit application with the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), which, in turn, will launch an environmental impact assessment.

On Latvia’s side, the most appropriate location for building the wind farm is off the coast of Kurzeme, between Liepaja and Ventspils, as announced by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) last month.

The Elwind project is expected to range in size from 700 MW to 1,000 MW. According to LIAA, the environmental impact assessments and all required construction permits will be arranged by 2025, to be followed by the launch of a competitive bidding process. The wind park has to be up and running by 2030.

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