Elering upgrades Paide-Kiisa 330 kV high-voltage line with €25 million

Last week, Elering entered into an agreement with construction company Connecto for the renovation of the 330 kV Paide-Kiisa high-voltage line. The construction of the line will, among other things, increase the potential for renewable energy development in Western Estonia.

The cost of the construction work according to the contract is €24.7 million euros excluding value added tax. The cost of the works may change to a certain extent due to an agreed indexation formula linked to the price of metal on the world market.

The length of the Paide-Kiisa high-voltage line to be reconstructed is 70 kilometres. The existing masts and the wires will be demolished during the work. The route of the line will not change, and the new line masts will be erected in the locations of the existing masts. The line upgrade must be completed in summer 2026.

The 110 kV Paide-Rapla power line, which currently runs on separate masts, will also be partly installed on the masts of the upgraded Paide-Kiisa line. This will allow the final demolition of 17 kilometres of the 110 kV line and will free land belonging to various landowners along this stretch from restrictions related to the line.

In addition to increasing the reliability of the powerful 330 kV high-voltage network, the upgrade of the Paide-Kiisa high-voltage line will also increase the line’s capacity and strengthen the interconnection of the electricity transmission network in Eastern and Western Estonia. The latter, in turn, is important for increasing the potential for renewable energy development in Western Estonia and on the islands.

The construction of the Paide-Kiisa high-voltage line will be financed by Elering from the surplus congestion charge received from the Nord Pool power exchange. The work is co-funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The upgrade of the line will not affect the network tariff for Estonian power consumers, as these two sources of funding will cover the total investment.