Europe needs more local renewable energy production to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and imported electricity. In the future, the Saare-Liivi offshore wind farm will also contribute to this goal, which will strengthen the security of supply of the whole of Europe in addition to Estonia’s energy security.
Electricity production in Estonia is currently strongly linked to oil shale plants, which have extremely low reliability and are no longer able to compete with the market prices. Therefore, the need to invest in energy production is inevitable, the only question is in which technologies. In addition, the need for green electricity is growing both in industry and in homes. A public opinion survey conducted in Estonia revealed that as many as 57% of respondents are in favour of building wind farms for the purpose of ensuring energy security. A wind farm built on the sea is the fastest way to bring a large amount of renewable energy to the market.
The Saare-Liivi offshore wind farm will add up to 1200 megawatts of new production capacity to the electricity system, which will produce up to 5 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. This is nearly half of Estonia’s current consumption and provides a real opportunity to change from an importer of electricity to an exporter again on a yearly basis.
Benefits are not limited to Estonia
The energy system of Estonia and the entire Baltic States is part of the common European electricity market, which means that each additional production capacity also benefits the other member states. If countries are able to produce more energy themselves, Europe’s need to import energy from outside the EU will decrease. The Baltic electricity market is facing a serious supply crisis. Last year, 5.5 TWh of electricity was imported in Estonia, which covered approximately 40% of Estonia’s electricity consumption – one of the highest indicators in the entire European Union.
According to Liisa Ruuder-Taimla, Development Manager of the Utilitas Wind offshore wind farm, the Saare-Liivi offshore wind farm will strengthen the electricity system in two ways. “Firstly, it produces renewable electricity on a large scale, which reduces the need for fossil fuel-based energy. Secondly, it will help to make the electricity prices in the region more competitive,” he said.
Offshore wind energy is especially important in our latitudes during the winter months, when electricity consumption is high and, for example, solar energy production is low. The availability of renewable electricity at affordable prices also allows the industrial and transport sectors to be electrified. In addition, the offshore wind farm can participate in the market for regulating the frequency of the electricity network, i.e. contribute to maintaining the stability of the electricity network.
The EU considers the project to be important
The development of the project is also supported by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). In 2023 and 2025, support was provided for the design of the Saare-Liivi offshore wind farm and the carrying out of several pre-construction and environmental studies. The aim of the CEF support is to develop the energy market within Europe and increase security of supply through the construction of new renewable energy capacities in a cost-effective way.
“CEF’s support confirms that Europe sees the offshore wind farm being developed in Estonia as a significant contribution to increasing Europe’s energy security. Each new renewable energy project helps to meet the goals of the European Green Deal, according to which the EU must achieve climate neutrality and reduce dependence on imported fossil energy,” Ruuder-Taimla added.
“All the production capacities developed here, be it solar panels, onshore wind farms or offshore wind farms, are part of the common European energy network. The stronger each link in this system, the smaller the dependence of the entire EU on external influence,” he said.
