Energy, Estonia, Water

The businessmen co-operating within the enterprise OÜ Energiasalv want to establish an underwater power plant in the Gulf of Muuga to establish an artificial island near the Muuga Coal Terminal to build a pump-hydroenergy plant on it.

Initially OÜ Energiasalv wanted build a pump-hydroenergy plant in the Jõelähtme parish, but the parish has been very careful about allowing the project due to negative environmental effects the plant might have. If the parish enables to build the giant power plant in its territory after all, there will be no need for filling a 5 hectares lot in the sea.

The company’s board member Lembit Vali said that if the hydro-power plant that will operate on the basis of water pump principle, had been in work in Estonia already last week, the so-called electricity shock that emerged when an energy block in one of the big power plants malfunctioned and the price of electricity surged manifold due to deficit, would not have emerged since they would have produced the necessary amount of electricity to cover the shortage by moving sea water. Right now there is no reserve capacity in Estonia at all, he said.

He said that Energiasalv is holding talks with the economy ministry to get a state subsidy to the project. So far talk has been about subsidising 300 MW worth of electric energy: for 20 years, 22 sents per KWh.

Economy ministry energy sphere deputy chancellor Einari Kisel says that although the planned plant would have prevented the electricity shock, he isn’t sure that the new plant has to be a 500 MW one.