Elering to Invest 9.4 Million Euros into Virtsu-Võiküla Undersea Cable

Elering is investing in the security of supply of Western Estonia and the islands by installing a new 110 kV undersea cable between Muhu and the mainland. The winning bidder for the construction work is Empower AS.

With the installation of the undersea cable, one of the six 35 kV oil impregnated paper insulated cables running between Muhu and the mainland will be replaced. The new cable, which has a 400 square millimeter copper core, will be buried under the sea floor to reduce the risk of damage from anchors, ridged ice, and other external factors. Since the transmission capacity of the new 110 kV undersea cable is higher than that of the existing ones, it will be able to maintain the supply of electricity to Saaremaa and Hiiumaa even if something was to happen to the 35 kV cables. The new cable has polyethylene insulation instead of oil-impregnated paper, making it more environmentally friendly.

The public procurement for the installation of the cable began in May of last year, and the winner with the lowest bid was Empower AS; the contract was signed by Elering in February. The cost of the construction work is 9.4 million euros. Design work on the cable and its path will be conducted this year. Manufacturing and testing of the cable is scheduled for next year, and installation will also take place next summer. The deadline for the project is November of 2015. A total of four bids were submitted to the public procurement.

Between 2014 and 2018, Elering will invest a total of nearly 20 million euros into improving the security of supply of Estonia’s western islands. In addition to the undersea cable between Virtsu and Võiküla, the substations at Leisi, Orissaare and Sikassaare will be updated, and one of the two aerial lines stretching on masts along the Väike Väin dam will be replaced by an underground cable. A second 110 kV undersea cable serving the islands is scheduled to be constructed between Tusti and Rõuste by the end of the decade. Along with the preparatory work for that project, Elering will analyse the various scenarios for the development of Western Estonia’s electricity network that would help improve the secure supply of electricity to both Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.

Preparation is also ongoing on the construction of the 330/110 kV Harku-Lihula-Sindi line, which will strengthen the electricity supply to all of Western Estonia. Over the next five years, Elering plans to renovate nine substations in that region, an investment of 23 million euros.