Latvia and Estonia will build a new power transmission line in order to 'become less dependent on Russia'
Latvia and Estonia are launching a new and, according to their declaration, very important project for the countries’ energy security and energy market. Elering, an independent Estonian electricity and gas transmission system operator, has announced that they will be accepting proposals for the design and construction of a third high-voltage connection between the power systems of Latvia and Estonia, Delfi reports.
It was estimated that the project will cost 172 million euros. It will be implemented without any additional burden on consumers of the Estonian electricity market. Construction will begin in late 2017 and will be completed within three years.
"The European Union will fund almost 112 million euros out of the 170 million euros needed to complete the project," said Taavi Veskimägi, the managing director of Elering. He also added that the new high-voltage connection will increase the sale of electricity transmitted between Estonia and Latvia by 600 megawatts.
According to media reports, the purpose of the creation of a third Estonian-Latvian energy bridge is the need to disconnect from Russian power grids. In addition, the new line will increase the reliability of supplies between the West and Estonia, the news portal emphasizes.