On April 25, 2024, Riga, Latvia, marked a significant moment in environmental diplomacy with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the protection of the Baltic Sea. This golden jubilee, held at the National Library of Latvia, underscored the enduring commitment of the Baltic nations and their partners [...]
On April 25, the largest wind energy conference in the Baltics “WindWorks. Connecting Industries” will take place at ATTA centre in Riga. More than 40 international and local energy experts, representatives of organizations and policymakers will take part in panel discussions to talk about energy developments in the region. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson [...]
The BEMIP Offshore Wind Working Group is implementing strategic priorities for 2024 to further advance offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea region. With a substantial potential of over 93 GW for offshore wind energy, the focus is on capitalizing on this resource while enhancing regional cooperation. During the Energy Security Summit held in Marienborg, [...]
The Energy Ministers of 8 Baltic Sea countries - Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Sweden - agreed the Vilnius Declaration, pledging closer collaboration to secure critical offshore energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region. This comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and various acts of sabotage to energy infrastructure in the [...]
The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (CPTRA) has recently taken a significant step towards advancing an offshore wind farm project. In a recent development, CPTRA initiated superficies licence proceedings and environmental impact assessment in response to an application submitted by the Environmental Investment Centre (EIC). This move marks a pivotal moment in the project's [...]
In order to promote the development of the offshore wind energy industry in the Baltic Sea, one of the leading companies in the industry - Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V. (Van Oord) plans to create a world-class offshore wind farm support base and an oversized cargo terminal in the Port of Liepaja. The [...]
International green energy company Ignitis Renewables supports the expedition Save the Baltic Sea and invites to pay attention to the ecological state of the sea and work together in preserving the Baltic Sea. During the nine-month walk around the Baltic Sea, the expedition and its partners will invite citizens, governments, organisations and businesses to take [...]
The Offshore Network Development Plans (ONDP) is a new component of the TYNDP, delivering a high-level outlook of the needs of offshore transmission infrastructure. The first edition of the ONDP has been published on 23 January 2024. The plans translate EU Member States’ non-binding agreements on offshore goals from January 2023 into offshore transmission corridors, [...]
ENTSO-E is inviting the stakeholders to a public workshop on the Offshore Network Development Plans (ONDP), in ENTSO-E premises in Brussels, on 1 March 2024. The ONDP is a new component of the TYNDP, focused on the needs for offshore transmission infrastructure. The first edition of the ONDP has been published on 23 January 2024. [...]
Ministers representing the IEA member countries today unanimously invited Latvia to become the Agency’s 32nd member, endorsing the steps the country has taken throughout its accession journey. Gathering at the IEA’s 2024 Ministerial Meeting, which also marks the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the IEA, ministers recognised that Latvia met all the requirements for [...]
The Latvia-Estonia cross-border offshore wind park project ELWIND begins cooperation with the Dutch company Ventolines. This technical consultant service provider has accumulated significant experience in wind park development. "Ventolines has contributed to wind park development projects in the Netherlands, Sweden, the USA and other countries, proving its competence and professionalism. For the needs of Elwind, [...]
BalticWind.EU asked industry leaders and key policy-makers for their assessment of what has been achieved in the past year and what the forecasts are for 2024. In today’s interview of the „Baltic Sea Offshore Wind – 2024 Outlook” series, we present the opinion of Lasma Livzeniece, Executive Director at Latvian Wind Energy Association. What is [...]
On December 19th, the European Commission and representatives of the governments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland signed a Political Declaration confirming their commitment to proceed at full speed to connect the electricity networks of the three Baltic States with continental Europe, via Poland, by February 2025. This is almost a year earlier than the [...]
The electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) of the nine Baltic Sea Region countries will continue to cooperate actively to ensure the reliability of the region's electricity supply, the implementation of the project to synchronise the Baltic electricity grids with continental Europe and to develop the future energy system for large-scale offshore wind power. This decision [...]
European Union is working on new list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) in the areas of electricity, offshore, hydrogen, smart grids and cross-border carbon dioxide networks. According to draft list –it identifies, among others, Priority Corridor Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan in electricity (BEMIP Electricity), Priority Corridor Baltic [...]
Estonian and Latvian electricity transmission system operators (TSO) Elering and Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), with which the parties will jointly start activities for the development of the fourth Estonian-Latvian electricity interconnection. This new interconnection will increase transmission capacity between Estonia and Latvia, contributing to the development of renewable energy sources [...]
The European wind energy sector is poised for significant growth, aiming to more than double its workforce by 2030. In the context of the European Year of Skills, addressing the pressing skills gap becomes imperative to support this expansion and foster innovation. These insights were garnered from a recent debate titled “On the road to [...]
The European Commission has announced today that two more projects have obtained the status required to be part of the List of Renewable Energy Cross-border Projects (CB RES list) under the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy). The list, launched for the first time in August 2022, has now a total of five projects. [...]
WindEurope has summarised the development of offshore wind energy in Europe in the first half of 2023. How does the Baltic Sea look in comparison to Europe? Below we present details of the projects under construction during this period. Europe built 2.1 GW of new offshore wind in the first half of 2023, bringing its [...]
Elering, AST and Litgrid, operators of the electricity transmission systems of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, signed an agreement on the synchronisation. According to the agreement, disconnection from the Russian-controlled system and synchronous connection to the continental European grid will take place in February 2025. The agreement also stipulates that the Baltic countries will jointly withdraw [...]
A renewables-focused integrated utility Ignitis Group’s subsidiary Ignitis Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP) New Markets Fund I have signed an agreement to collaborate exclusively on offshore wind opportunities in Estonia and Latvia and intend to jointly bid in the upcoming offshore wind tenders in these countries. The partnership leverages Ignitis Group’s leading market position [...]
According to the latest report from Aegir Insights, the Baltic states, comprising Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are rapidly advancing their offshore wind energy initiatives, capitalizing on the vast potential of the Baltic Sea to drive Europe's energy transition. This surge in activity aligns with the region's heightened focus on energy security, independence, and renewable energy [...]
The Latvia-Estonia cross-border offshore wind project ELWIND has received approval for EUR 18.7 million in co-funding from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency CINEA. The funding for the research needed to develop the project has been granted under the European Union funding programme Connecting Europe Facility. The co-funding will enable high-quality research to determine the [...]
On 13 June the meeting of the ministers of defence from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partner nations took place in Amsterdam. The topics on the meeting agenda included cooperation to support Ukraine and to promote the security situation in the neighbouring areas. The UK-led JEF is a multilateral framework for defence cooperation formed by [...]
The 20th Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) Ministerial Session, held in Wismar, Germany, concluded on 2 June 2023, with key outcomes demonstrating solidarity against Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine, commitment to climate neutrality and renewable energy, and an emphasis on youth participation and societal resilience in the Baltic Sea Region. The 20th Council [...]
According to a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are making significant strides in energy security, with a particular focus on the development of offshore wind farms. This move comes in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which prompted these nations to [...]
GORIO is one of the projects selected and supported by CEF Energy under the call for preparatory studies for cross-border renewable energy (CB RES) projects launched in 2021. Supported with a total of EUR 99,000, GORIO is ran and coordinated by Eesti Energi, a public limited energy company in Estonia. The project aims to develop, [...]
Renewable energy developer European Energy and offshore wind company Vårgrønn, a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision, announce a long-term strategic partnership to jointly pursue offshore wind opportunities in the Baltic Sea within Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic states have significant offshore wind potential, with a total of 15.4 GW of estimated possible [...]
Against the current background of the war in Ukraine, Germany and the three Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania want to strengthen their energy sovereignty and cooperate more closely. While attending the Baltic Offshore Wind Forum at the German Federal Foreign Ministry in Berlin today, the German Transmission System Operator (TSO) 50Hertz and its counterparts [...]
CEOs and other executives from the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) of the Baltic Sea countries met in Berlin to further intensify cooperation. The meeting was attended by AST (Latvia), Elering (Estonia), Energinet (Denmark), Fingrid (Finland), Litgrid (Lithuania), PSE (Poland), Statnett (Norway) and Svenska Kraftnät (Sweden). The companies' managers gave a positive assessment of how the [...]
This year's WindWorks. Moving Energy conference in Riga was once again the venue for key discussions on offshore wind energy development in the Baltic Sea, with a particular focus on the potential of Latvia and Estonia. The event, of which BalticWind.EU was a media partner, was organised on 19 April by the Latvian and Estonian [...]
It has been estimated that Latvia's offshore wind energy potential is approximately 15 GW, which would produce around 70 TWh is ten times greater than Latvia's current consumption and also surpasses the estimated demand increase. Currently, 0 GW of offshore wind energy has been installed, and the industry is still in the early [...]
The BalticSeaH2 hydrogen valley project will develop the first significant cross-border hydrogen valley in Europe. The goal is to create an integrated hydrogen economy in the Southern Finland and Estonian region, which enables the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from various industries and the region’s energy self-sufficiency. The area is connected to the wider market [...]
Key challenges for offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea in 2023 were the topic of a webinar hosted by BalticWind.EU. Offshore industry experts from the Baltic countries of our region discussed what actions should be taken next year, summed up the last one and discussed key actions for the effective development of the industry. [...]
Latvia’s largest wind energy industry conference, WindWorks. Moving Energy, has evolved into the most prominent event of this kind in the Baltic region. Foreign and local experts will meet in Riga on April 19 this year to look for solutions for more successful and faster utilization of wind energy across the Baltics. The conference’s agenda [...]
Eolus and PNE have created a joint venture for developing the Kurzéme offshore wind project in Latvia. The wind farm will have approximately 1,000 MW installed capacity with planned commercial operation start before 2030. The project area is located in the Baltic Sea outside the west coast of Latvia and the wind farm will have [...]
The year 2022 was full of events that are permanently changing the conditions for the offshore wind industry. We asked industry leaders and key policy-makers for their assessment of what has been achieved in the past year and what the forecasts are for 2023. In today’s interview of the „Baltic Sea Offshore Wind – 2022 [...]
The energy crisis in the Baltic Sea region might be solved by generating less expensive power in Estonia instead of building another “A to B” link with Finland, according to the CEO of Estonian power company Eesti Energia Hando Sutter. In his opinion, another submarine cable in the Baltic Sea region should rather run along [...]
EU countries have earmarked around 52,000 km2 for wind energy development, as shown in WindEurope's analysis of offshore spatial plans. Such an area, if fully utilized, will allow the installation of 220 GW of wind power. Among the leaders are Belgium and Germany, which together want to allocate 15% of their territorial waters for wind [...]
The leaders of the Baltic Sea electricity transmission system operators met in Helsinki on 2nd of November to discuss the energy crisis in Europe and the electricity adequacy of the region. The transmission system operators of the Baltic Sea region actively cooperate and share information on the security and the electricity supply situation in the [...]
Today, the Estonian Government confirmed the location of the ELWIND joint Estonian-Latvian offshore wind energy project in the Estonian maritime area. Based on studies and analyses, the most suitable development area for the joint project in Estonian waters is the sea area west of the Sõrve peninsula. "Estonia's offshore wind energy is an untapped potential [...]
The partners intend to jointly develop, build and operate offshore wind farms. Latvenergo offers deep knowledge of the Latvian energy market and regulations, as well as experience in electricity supply, while RWE brings its technical expertise from 20 years of experience in offshore wind power. […]
On 30 August 2022 the Heads of Governments and Energy Ministers of the 8 countries around the Baltic Sea signed the Marienborg Declaration. They committed to new volumes for the build-out of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea and agreed to cooperate more closely on it and on energy more [...]
On final reading on July 14, the Latvian Parliament approved amendments to the Energy Law and the Electricity Market Law prepared by the Ministry of Economics, contributing to strengthening Latvia’s energy security and independence. The new legislation will promote the development of RES, support energy efficiency and more active citizen [...]
As of 1 July 2022, Latvia will be the Chair of HELCOM until 30 June 2024. The chairmanship rotates between Contracting Parties every two years, in alphabetical order. […]
The activities were inaugurated by the Polish-Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry based in Riga, which brings together companies, institutions and individuals interested in the development of economic relations between Poland and Latvia. Among the founding members of the Chamber is ORLEN Lietuva – ORLEN Latvija, a company planning investments in wind energy. […]
The Baltic Regional Coordination Centre (Baltic RCC) has officially started operations in Tallinn. An executive was elected for this purpose. The purpose of the center will be to coordinate the planning of the development of electricity systems as well as some of the day-to-day activities of the operators to guarantee the security of electricity supply. [...]
According to Lithuanian media, Latvia has expressed no objection to the construction of a large offshore wind farm near the common border. This was announced by the Ministers of Environment of Lithuania and Latvia. […]
Latvia plans to implement new regulations that will accelerate the pace of development of wind farm projects. The government’s plans were announced by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Artūrs Toms Plešs, during a press briefing on March 21. A special law will be drafted for this purpose. [...]
There is no longer any doubt that wind energy in the Baltic Sea region will play a key role in the development of green hydrogen production. Recently, the BASREHRT project – the Baltic Sea Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Experts Roundtable – was launched. It is a platform for cooperation in [...]
The Latvian government has decided to reject an application from Danish RES developer Ørsted, in cooperation with Estonian partner Eesti Energia, related to the construction and location of an offshore wind farm in Latvian waters. The decision is driven by the need to find a suitable location for the Latvian-Estonian [...]
Estonian grid operator Elering and Latvian operator Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) commissioned consulting firm BLIX to complete a four-level study that concludes that there are no obstacles to the healthy development of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea region. […]
In the wake of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the operators of the Baltic transmission systems – Augstsprieguma tīkls of Latvia, Litgrid of Lithuania, and Elering of Estonia – have agreed to limit the total capacity of electricity imports from Russia. […]
Latvian electricity system operator AS Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) has announced that a Regional Coordination Center for the Baltic region will be established this year. A special company, Baltic RCC, will be established for this purpose. […]
Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of State Assets, Jacek Sasin, began an economic visit to Latvia on January 14. Representatives of Poland and Latvia talked about issues related to, among others, energy […]
The Baltic Sea will be one of the European regions supporting the European Union’s energy transition. Particular potential is seen in offshore wind energy. We talk about the role of the Baltic Sea in decarbonising the region’s economies with Rytis Kėvelaitis, Founder and CEO at Energy Unlimited. Kėvelaitis stressed that three Baltic states, Lithuania, [...]
A Dutch trade mission will visit the Baltic States from 31 January to 4 February 2022. Representatives of the Dutch offshore wind industry will look for business opportunities in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. […]
The Presidents of the Baltic States, i.e. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, met on 15 November in Vilnius and signed the “Baltic Road to Climate Neutrality” Declaration . The document envisages joint action and cooperation of the Baltic States in a number of areas for the benefit of the climate. Among [...]
The Baltic electricity transmission system operators (TSO) Elering, AST (JSC “Augstsprieguma tīkls”) and Litgrid entered into an agreement to establish a Baltic Regional Coordination Centre (RCC) based in Tallinn and submitted a corresponding proposal to the competition authorities of the three countries. […]
The Estonian TSO Elering AS and the Latvian TSO Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) are developing a business case, investigating the possibilities to invest in an offshore grid. In order to evaluate the business cases of future projects, an offshore grid technology catalogue is needed. BLIX Consultancy has been commissioned to perform [...]
Estonian media reports that the Ministry of the Environment has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) program for the Saare offshore wind farm. The wind power plant, with a capacity of up to 1400 MW, will be installed in the waters off the western side of the island of Saaremaa. The [...]
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas visited Latvia on 15th October. She met with Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, with whom she discussed, among other things, on energy security. One of the topics discussed was offshore wind energy. […]
Latvian transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls AS (AST) has presented an investment plan worth up to €401 million. The operator’s aim until 2030 is to develop the transmission grid in terms of reliable energy supply and to increase integration of more RES sources. […]
Hando Sutter, CEO of Estonian company Eesti Energia, addressed Konkurentsiamet, the Estonian Competition Authority, concerning offshore wind energy development. Sutter doubts that grid operator Elering is treating all market participants equally. […]
On 16 August WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson spoke at the kick-off meeting of the ELWIND project, the joint Estonia/Latvia project to develop a hybrid offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Riga. Dickson gave an introduction about offshore wind developments in Europe and shared the experience of past and existing [...]
The Estonian Ministry of Economy and Communications announced the selection of a contractor for a preliminary feasibility study for the ELWIND offshore wind farm project. Hendrikson & KO and Pondera Consult will take on the challenges. […]
The Transmission System Operators – Latvian AS Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) and Estonian Elering AS, in scope of the ELWIND project, together with an Estonian consultant Skepast & Puhkim OÜ will carry out an in-depth study of possible onshore land line corridors towards the planned offshore wind park sites which have [...]
Estonian electricity system operator Elering and the Latvian system operator AST formally launched the third Estonian-Latvian electricity connection, which inter alia creates the prerequisites for developing an offshore network and the related building of offshore wind farms. […]
The European Commission (EC) has adopted a package of legislative proposals setting out legislative tools to achieve Europe’s climate goals which will promote greener solutions, sustainability and energy independence. The main changes include improving the legislation to promote wider use of renewable energy, an elaborated and stricter system of emission [...]
A public procurement notice for the construction of an Estonian-Latvian offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea has appeared in the Estonian Public Procurement Register. The tender concerns the implementation of the ELWIND feasibility study. […]
The first online hackathon «HACK DigitalSea’21» in the Baltics was launched in 3-4 of July, where participants sought innovative solutions to the acute challenges for sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea. In two of the three categories, the awards worth 4000 EUR were won by teams from Latvia – PurOceans [...]
Four new and significant members have joined the Latvian Wind Energy Association (LWEA) in the last six months – renewable energy project developer Sunly, number one offshore wind developer globally Ørsted, solar and wind farm developer European Energy and SIA Gaismas rati, a local company offering high altitude solutions. [...]
Latvia also wants to join the peloton of countries developing offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea. As it turns out, the country's potential is large. We ask Andris Vanags, head of the Latvian Wind Energy Association, about the perspectives for the new industry. LWEA has been the voice of the wind industry in [...]
Vestas, the largest producer of wind turbines, is entering the Latvian energy market. The Danish company will deliver turbines to the construction site of the Targale onshore wind farm in Latvia. Vestas opened its first office in Latvia in April 2021. The plan is also to launch a service hub near the port of [...]
Electricity Transmission System Operators in Latvia and Estonia, AS Augstsprieguma tikls (AST) and Elering AS, have signed a cooperation agreement to investigate possible ways to evacuate power from planned offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea and connect them to onshore transmission systems in both countries. Operators informed that preliminary analysis of the route [...]