The Estonian government has approved a draft bill granting the first building permit for the construction of an offshore wind farm in the country. The permit will be granted to Saare Wind Energy OÜ, which plans to build a wind farm on the west coast of Saaremaa.
The company seeks to build an offshore wind farm featuring up to 100 turbines, installed at least 11 kilometres from the west coast of Saaremaa. The maximum capacity of the project is expected to be up to 1.4 GW, and it could start producing renewable energy in the early 2030s.
“This is the first building permit in the history of Estonian offshore wind farms – it is an important step towards clean energy production,” said Jaanus Uiga , Undersecretary of State for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Climate.
The building permit is valid for 50 years and gives the developer the right to build an offshore wind farm along with the necessary infrastructure. It also allows Saare Wind Energy to apply for a building permit from the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (CPTRA) and an environmental permit for special water use from the Environmental Board.
The ministry states that the company must apply for a construction permit, typically valid for five years, and obtain an occupancy permit within two years of receiving the building permit. The building permit also includes specific environmental mitigation measures that the developer must comply with.
Issuing a building permit does not mean that the offshore wind project will receive state support because the permit is necessary regardless of possible support measures, said the ministry.
As of October 2020, the shareholders of Saare Wind Energy OÜ are OÜ Kirsimäe, Gottlieb OÜ and Van Oord Offshore Wind BV.
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the offshore wind project was approved in June 2024.
In addition to Saare Wind Energy’s plan, the Estonian government has initiated building permit procedures for eleven more offshore wind farms, which have been submitted by OÜ Utilitas Wind, Five Wind Energy OÜ, Tuuletraal OÜ, UAB Ignitis renewables projektai 6, Liivi Offshore OÜ, the Environmental Investment Center Foundation (ELWIND), and Tuul Energy OÜ.
At the beginning of this month, CPTRA announced an auction for the development of an offshore wind farm in the Saare 7 area. The auction will take place between 10 June and 12 June.
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