Finland to complete repairs of undersea power cable with Estonia by mid-2025

Repairs on Estlink 2 this fall. September 3, 2024. Photo: Dmitri Fedotkin/ERR

Repairs to the undersea power cable of the Estlink 2 interconnector between Finland and Estonia will take until mid-2025, with costs expected to reach tens of millions of euros.

Finnish authorities are investigating a Russian tanker, which was navigating from St. Petersburg to Egypt when the damage occurred. The ship, part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” has been detained in Finnish waters as inquiries continue.

Repairs to the damaged cable are expected to be completed by July with the repair costs shared with Estonian operator Elering, Finnish grid operator Fingrid has announced, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Seabed surveys are currently assessing the extent of the damage, Fingrid’s Kimmo Nepola told Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat.

Once inspections are complete, the cable will be cut and sealed to prevent seawater infiltration.

Operational since 2014, EstLink 2 spans 170 kilometers and provides a critical 650 MW energy link between the two nations.

The damage, which occurred on Wednesday, leaves the older and less powerful EstLink 1 as the sole connection between Finland and the Baltic states.

News.Az