The second submarine cable of the Väike Väin Strait will increase the security of supply and eliminate hazards for birds

In order to increase the security of supply of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa islands, Elering will replace the second (and final) overhead transmission line on the Väinatamm Causeway, which will allow for the final removal of the Väinatamm overhead transmission line. The new submarine cable will be located north of the first submarine cable, which was finished a few years ago.

The construction of the submarine cable will be partially financed by the support received from the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union. According to Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Management Board of Elering, it means implementing the project faster and cheaper for the consumers. “Thanks to the support received from the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Commission, we were able to make this investment several years earlier. Replacing the overhead transmission line on the Väinatamm Causeway with a submarine cable will further improve the security of supply of electricity for the residents of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa islands. Furthermore, it will eliminate the hazard for birds,” said Veskimägi.

Saaremaa and Muhu municipalities have issued the design criteria for the route chosen for the second submarine cable in Väike Väin Strait and the owners of the registered immovables affected have agreed with granting a right of use. The procurement for building the cable will commence this autumn or winter. Assuming that both the superficies licence and the permit for special use of water are issued by this summer, the installation of the cable will take place in summer 2024.

The construction of the second submarine cable for the Väinatamm Causeway is a part of a project by which the connection capacity of new renewable energy capacities to the power grid is increased with the aid of the support received from the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union. Pursuant to the contract entered into between Elering and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the total cost of the project is 69 million euros, of which, as of now, 30 million will be received from the European Union.

The first submarine cable in the Väike Väin Strait was installed in 2019. Elering has additionally replaced the Soviet-era submarine cables in the Suur Väin Strait with modern ones – the first one was completed in 2015, and the second in 2020.

Elering is also overseeing projects for increasing the security of supply of the islands by constructing a 110-kilovolt parallel line surpassing Muhu Island, and the complete reconstruction of Sikassaare substation located next to Kuressaare.