Estlink 3 and Estonia-Latvia fourth electricity connection planned to be completed 2038-2040

Estonia plans to build a third submarine cable to Finland and a fourth electricity connection to Latvia, both expected to be completed by the end of the next decade. Saaremaa landowners are awaiting clarity on the cable route corridor, but concrete restrictions will only be set later. According to Elering, investment decisions will be made in the period 2031-2033.

Estonia intends to build two major new electricity connections: a third submarine cable to Finland and a fourth electricity connection to Latvia via Saaremaa and across the sea. Both projects are expected by Elering and the climate minister to be completed between 2038 and 2040, although deadlines have repeatedly been postponed.

Landowners await clarity

Saaremaa municipality landowners, who fall within the potential cable route corridor, remain in an uncertain situation, as the precise location of electricity lines is still unknown. Saaremaa deputy mayor Kristjan Tamm promised that in July the final route corridor will be announced and presented. He emphasised that no concrete restrictions have yet been imposed, and these will only arise during the detailed planning phase.

"We support landowners' concerns and their resolution, but final agreements are between the party responsible for preparing the detailed plan and the landowners," Tamm said.

Restriction remains 80 metres wide

Elering's submarine network development manager Priit Heinla explained that after the plan is approved, land restriction agreements will be concluded, giving landowners final certainty. Although the plan establishes a 120-140 metre wide corridor, the actual restriction for the landowner remains 80 metres wide.

According to Heinla, Elering believes that electricity prices will remain slightly lower in the Nordic countries than in Estonia going forward, which is why it makes sense to build the connections, first via Estlink 3 and then with the Estonia-Latvia fourth connection. Investment decisions are planned for the period 2031-2033, based on study results.

"When we plan to make an investment decision between 2031 and 2033, by that time we will try to have the best information available," Heinla said.

Projects have fallen behind schedule

Landowners' concerns are deepened by the fact that project timelines have repeatedly shifted. Work on the Estlink 3 project began in 2022, when it was hoped the connection would be created in the early 2030s. This year, the deadline set for 2035 was also postponed.

Energy Minister Andres Sutt acknowledged that the energy sector is developing rapidly and earlier decisions may not always hold. "The role of energy or electricity in the world is growing and these changes will continue to be rapid. Therefore, decisions made ten years ago may not hold for the next ten years," he said, adding that the necessity of cables can be properly assessed at the time of making the investment decision.