European Commission: Ceremony marks launch of the third Estonia-Latvia electricity interconnector

A new electricity connection between Estonia and Latvia was launched on August 25 by the respective electricity system operators Elering and AST. This is the third electricity connector between the two countries and a further step in synchronising the Baltic with the continental European network.

As well as improving security of supply and strengthening the grid, the project will facilitate the integration of renewables into the grid and contribute to reducing EU greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, an important element about this new connection is that it will be compatible with developing an offshore network and the related building of offshore wind farms – important building blocks identified in last year’s EU offshore renewable energy strategy.

Attending the inauguration ceremony at Kilingi-Nõmme in Estonia, EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said:

This is a further important step towards the synchronisation of the Baltic States with the European energy network, fully connecting them with the EU market. Against a particular challenging context throughout this past year, I am pleased to witness tangible results of how our Trans-European Networks for Energy delivers on the ground.

The completion of the third interconnector will alleviate the long-lasting congestion at the border between Estonia and Latvia, which has caused significant price differentials. With more than 360km of powerlines (and 972 pylons), the new connection has a total capacity of 600 MW. Highlighted as an EU project of common interest (PCI), the total cost of the construction was €172 million, of which €112 million was financed from the EU budget through the Connecting Europe Facility.