"Augstsprieguma tīkls" AS has announced a procurement procedure on design and construction works for project "Estonia - Latvia third 330 kV interconnection". Applicants may submit their proposals within the two months’ time, until January 13, 2017.

Under the framework of the project it is planned to construct a 330 kV high voltage electricity transmission line with the total length of 180 kilometres from Riga CHP-2 to the Estonian border, while the Estonian transmission system operator "Elering" will construct the part of the line in the territory of Estonia from the border to the substation Kilingi-Nõmme. Total project costs for Latvia are estimated at more than 100 million EUR, of which 63 million EUR will be covered by the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) funds.

As reported earlier, in August 2016 Cabinet of Ministers of Republic of Latvia has approved the line route and environmental impact assessment on the construction of this line, and taking into account the importance of the project, national interest object status has been assigned for the project.

According to the government approved proposal for the line route, approximately 20 kilometres of the new electricity transmission line will be built from the Estonian border an existing electricity transmission line corridor Rujiena-Aloja, further on continuing along the existing line route along Aloja, Limbazi and Skulte towns to Saulkrasti. From there transmission line will be located in the same corridor with planned "Rail Baltica" railway route, while the final stage of 2 kilometres to the Riga CHP-2 will be located on the route of planned motorway E22.

The project is to be implemented by year 2020 and it is included in the Latvian and European electricity transmission system development plans. As pointed out by the Ministry of Economy, allocation of the status of the national interests to the project is the way in which government implements political decisions on the planned development in energy sector on national level and to fulfil its international obligations.

The planned Estonian - Latvian third 330 kV interconnection is essential future infrastructure project for the whole Baltic region, which will ensure security of electricity supply in the Baltic region, the effective functioning of the electricity market in the Baltic States and the competitiveness of such market within the Baltic States and between the Baltic and Nordic countries. The new interconnection will also reduce so-called congestion or insufficient transmission capacity between the Estonian and Latvian networks, which nowadays is the reason why Latvian consumers often do not have access to cheaper electricity from Scandinavian countries.