Prime Minister Ratas: Elering will be able to ensure security of supply of electricity even in complicated situations

On Friday, 12 July, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas visited Elering’s emergency reserve power plants, which have a strategic importance in ensuring Estonia’s security of supply.

Representatives from Elering gave the prime minister an overview of how Estonian inhabitants' security of supply is ensured should power production in Narva decrease in connection with the high price of carbon dioxide emissions and where the Estonian power supply is increasingly based on cross-border connections and Nordic power plants that generate power for those connections. Yesterday, the cabinet decided to form a climate and energy commission aimed at mapping ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring security of electricity supply.

Ratas said consumers must be guaranteed security of supply at every point in time. “The power system requires backup capacity to ensure the faultless operation of the system in the case of failures and Elering’s backup plants will ensure security of supply in crises as well. As the TSO, Elering is responsible for ensuring security of supply in Estonia and it carries out this function in exemplary fashion, preparing the Estonian power system for coping in the event of unlikely scenarios as well,“ he said.

According to the chairman of the Elering management board, Elering’s backup plants are a good example of quick-start power plants. The plants, based in Kiisa, are capable of achieving full capacity in less than 10 minutes. “Elering’s 2019 analysis of security of supply shows that a combination of generating capacities and connections will ensure security of supply for Estonian consumers at least through 2025 and in the case of unlikely crisis scenarios, the electricity system has the capability to cope in complicated situations for the next 10 years,“ he said.

Elering’s backup power plants in Kiisa were built in 2013 and 2014, being the first plants of its kind built to ensure backup capacity for emergencies in Estonia. These power plants are necessary to keep the power grid operating smoothly in the case of various malfunctions. The plants do not play a role in the power trading system – the Elering command centre launches them only if a malfunction should befall a power plant or external connection in everyday use.

Photographs: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmF3imzS