In July of this year, Enefit, a developer, signed a contract to prepare a conceptual engineering design for a wind farm. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
Margus Vals, a Member of Enefit’s Management Board, said there is a strong demand for renewable electricity throughout Europe. “An increase in renewable energy production is crucial for the environment, consumers and national security. The offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Riga will play a key role in Estonia’s energy supply and is in line with the government’s green transition goals. Upon successful completion of the planning phase, the wind farm could begin production as early as 2028 and cover half of the electricity consumed in Estonia. This is an effective and viable project that will produce affordable and environmentally friendly electricity on a large scale and increase energy security for the entire region”, said Vals.
The project will be prepared by the international engineering and consulting firm BLIX Consultancy. BLIX will analyze alternative wind turbine options, as well as foundations, substation and onshore solutions for the wind farm. The project will also provide technical solutions as input to the ongoing environmental impact assessment.
According to Vals, the conceptual engineering design plan will give a more detailed overview of what an offshore farm in the Gulf of Riga could look like. “The project will not provide final and definitive answers, but it will propose solutions that are both technically and environmentally sound. This information is important to us as a developer, the authorities, as well as partners”, he said.
Albert van der Hem, Founder and Managing Director of BLIX Consultancy, said: “We will share more than 20 years of our experience in offshore wind development with Enefit and optimize the offshore wind farm project in the Gulf of Riga. We will incorporate not only relevant experience from recent offshore wind farm projects in northwestern Europe and Asia, but also from our recent assignments for clients in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland”.
The offshore wind farm is being developed by Enefit and is planned in the Gulf of Riga, approx. 11 km from the nearest point of land on Kihnu Island. The offshore wind farm development area is designated by the spatial plan of the maritime area bordering Pärnu County. The park has a production capacity of 1 gigawatt and an estimated annual production of 4.5 terawatt hours.
Source: Esti Energia
