Two more projects from the Baltics have obtained the status required to be part of the List of Renewable Energy Cross-border Projects under the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy), bringing the total number of projects to five.
First, the Saare-Liivi Offshore Wind Park (SLOWP) whose goal is to produce electricity and/or hydrogen through offshore wind power plant facilities in the Gulf of Riga, on the western side of the island Kihnu, in Estonian seawaters. The first stage of development includes the construction of approximately 80 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW), with an expected annual electricity production of over 5 terawatt-hours (TWh). The aim is to have the SLOWP project ready and operational in 2028, so it could contribute to the national energy and climate policy target by 2030.
Second, the Utilitas Lode-Penuja RES Wind Park (ULP-RES WP) in the northern part of Latvia and the southern part of Estonia. It will consist of new-generation wind turbines with a joint connection to the transmission grid in Latvia. The total power production capacity is 200 megawatts (MW) and annual energy production of 600 gigawatt-hours (GWh) starting from 2027, representing more than 5 per cent of the current total power consumption of both countries.
These projects will help to fill a gap in regional renewable electricity production, contribute to an open electricity market, increase Europe’s energy independence and reduce fossil fuel consumption by decarbonizing the energy sector.