Estonia awards first building permit for an offshore wind farm

The Estonian government has approved a draft bill that granted the first building permit for an offshore wind farm in the country.

The permit, valid for 50 years, was granted to Saare Wind Energy to construct a 1.4GW wind farm some 11 km off Saaremaa island. The wind farm will be built with 100 turbines, which are expected to be installed and commissioned in the early 2030s.

The government bill allows the company the right to occupy and use the seabed for the construction of the wind farm and its associated infrastructure.

Saare Wind Energy now has two years to apply for a construction permit, usually valid for five years, before building work can begin. The building permit also includes specific environmental mitigation measures that the developer must comply with.

“This is the first building permit in the history of Estonian offshore wind farms – it is an important step towards the production of clean energy,” said Jaanus Uiga, deputy secretary general for energy and mineral resources at the Estonian Ministry of Climate Change.

In addition to the Saare Wind Energy plan, the government has initiated proceedings for building permits for 11 other offshore wind farms submitted by OÜ Utilitas Wind, Five Wind Energy OÜ, Tuuletraal OÜ, UAB Ignitis renewables projektai 6, Liivi Offshore OÜ, the Environmental Investment Centre Foundation, and Tuul Energy OÜ.