Fault in the EstLink 2 Electricity Transmission Connection Between Finland and Estonia Located in the Submarine Cable

The EstLink 2 electricity transmission connection between Finland and Estonia disconnected from the grid after noon on Christmas Day. The Finnish and Estonian transmission system operators Fingrid and Elering immediately initiated fault investigation work together with the authorities, and the fault was located in the submarine cable on Thursday. 

The electricity transmission connection is currently out of service. The failure of the cross-border electricity transmission link did not endanger the operation of the electricity system in Finland, the electricity system is functioning normally and electricity reliability is currently good, the electricity system is operating normally, and the electricity supply is currently sufficient. However, this situation may worsen if the weather conditions become colder for an extended period. However, during cold and windless periods, a failure of the EstLink 2 connection may make it more likely that the power situation will become tight. 

Preparations for the repair work on the connection have begun. The repair work is estimated to take several months. We aim to provide a more precise schedule for the repair work on the EstLink 2 connection next week. 

Authorities are investigating the sequence of events that led to the damage to the submarine cable. 

Finland has electricity transmission connections to Estonia, Sweden, and Norway. EstLink 2 is the electricity transmission connection between Finland and Estonia, with a transmission capacity of 650 megawatts. The total length of the electricity transmission connection is 170 km, of which 145 km is submarine cable, 14 km is overhead line on the Finnish side, and 12 km is underground cable in Estonia. 

For more information: 

Arto Pahkin, Manager, Network Operations, Fingrid Oyj, tel. +358 30 395 4315 
The emails are in the format: firstname.lastname@fingrid.fi