The wind conditions in the Baltic Sea are ideal for offshore wind farms. The three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia all want to take advantage of the opportunities for renewable energy there. But one state is off the mark quicker than the other countries: Estonia plans a mighty1.5GW of installed capacity from two wind parks in the Baltic. They should be commissioned next year.
Siimo Paisto, head of development and expansion at JSC Nelija Energy (a joint Norwegian and Estonian Company) said:
“We deem the Baltic Sea more suitable for developing wind power than, for example, the Nordic Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. As all the three Baltic States enjoy a pretty vast offshore space for wind power development, Estonia has really good wind conditions for that.”
Estonia leads the other states with an investment totaling US$545 million in 250 MW of wind capacity across the Baltics.
It’s been said (by the Swedish Uppsala University’s Institute of Meteorology) that wind farm construction costs in the Baltic Sea are US$1.4 million lower per MW than in the Nordic Sea and also that the wind force (9.01-9.25 m/sec.) off the Estonian coast is above the average in the region.
Nelja Energy is not stopping there and is planning plans a 700-1,000-MW wind park off the Estonian coast at Hiiumaa Island. The project’s environmental impact assessment is advancing steadily, and developers hope to obtain all the necessary construction documentation by Summer and start the construction early in 2015. It is expected that the facility’s generation capacity will reach 2.4-3.8 TWh of electricity annually. Not to be outdone, Eesti Energia is planning another 500-MW offshore project further along the Baltic shore.
The Estonian power system administrator Elering has said that the number of state subsidies paid to wind power generators in 2013 was larger than was initially forecast. Despite the Estonian government setting a smaller FIT for wind power in 2014 (US$1.1 per kWh, down from US$1.2 in 2013 and US$ $1.31 in 2012) all the Estonian wind power developers remain upbeat.
In adjoining Lithuania there is great offshore strong resource potential — experts estimate that offshore capacity could reach 7,000 MW. But things are not progressing as quickly.
Aleksandras Paulauskas, head of Lithuania’s Wind Power Developer Association said:
“Amid the environmental and Western Lithuania’s power grid congestion concerns, there is still no political and a single opinion when it comes to developing offshore wind power in Lithuania. Strong lobbyism pro and against the endeavor also counts. Estonia’s rapid wind power expansion should be largely attributed to Finland, Estonia’s northern neighbor, which heavily impacts Estonia’s policies. Nevertheless, with the expected adoption of Lithuania’s National Energy Strategy and the amendments to the Territorial Planning and Renewables Development laws, I believe offshore wind projects will soon get off the ground in Lithuania as well. Particularly, taking into account that we already have developers ready to take on the implementation.”
Latvia will need to get on board soon or find the prime sites for offshore wind parks that have been taken!
