Construction, Energy, Energy Market, Estonia
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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 23:32
Estonia: Installation of Elering's EUR 5.4 mln sea cable begins in Vaike Strait
Both of Estonia's large western islands, Saaremaa and
Hiiumaa are currently powered by overhead lines on the dam on Vaike Strait. The
completion of a parallel sea cable will notably reduce the risk of the
islands being cut off from power for an extended period in case of overhead
line disruptions, Elering said.
The construction of the sea cable also enables
to decrease the number of high voltage line wires on the dam and the
remaining overhead line can be put into order so that it remains more visible
to birds.
The installation of the sea cable between the island of Muhu
and the town of Orissaare in Saaremaa began last weekend. In the first
phase of the works, floats were used to transport the 4.7-kilometer
110-kilovolt electric power cable from a vessel into the sea. The cable will be
plunged into a 1.5-meter deep trench in the seabed, which will then be filled
with soil.
The length of the new power cable reaching from the island
of Muhu to the new substation in Orissaare totals 6.7 kilometers, 4.7
kilometers of which will be submerged. Three phases in the sea cable have
been connected to one cable. The diameter of the cable is 190 millimeters, the
weight 67 kilograms per meter.
The total cost of the cable, which will be established
by AS Merko Infra, part of the listed Estonian Merko Ehitus group, and AS
Connecto Eesti, is close to 5.4 mln euros. A similar cable will be installed by
the two companies in the Suur Strait between the mainland of Estonia and
Muhu island next year.
Elering established the first modern 110-kilovolt sea cable
between the mainland and the island of Muhu in 2015. Since its establishment,
this cable has carried the main weight in supplying electricity to the islands
of Muhu, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.