The National Defence Committee and the Environment Committee held a joint meeting to discuss the implications of constructing wind parks for the national defence. The Committees agreed that a good solution that would not negatively affect Estonia’s security must be found as soon as possible.

The Chairman of the National Defence Committee Marko Mihkelson said that the wind parks planned for Ida-Viru County would jeopardise our national deterrence capacity by seriously disturbing the radar systems. “Prior warning is crucial to our national defence,” said Mihkelson. “In light of our geographical position and the complex security situation, the government should take a clear stand on whether to allow or not to allow the construction of wind parks in areas that are sensitive from the point of view of our security.”

Mihkelson referred to Finland, which has practically banned the construction of wind parks along its Eastern border, and is offering the developers substitute land in other regions.

Member of the National Defence Committee Johannes Kert emphasised that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were border countries of the NATO, and that the prior warning information is therefore also collected for the benefit of NATO. “This is why I am not talking only of Estonia’s security interests, but of considerably wider ones,” Kert said.

The Chairman of the Environment Committee Rainer Vakra said that wind energy cannot be developed at the expense of national defence priorities, and that it was important to find a good solution. He proposed developing a state compensation for Ida-Viru businesses to cover the investments so far, and to offer substitute land in other regions of Estonia, where the interests of the developer do not clash with national defence priorities. Vakra stressed that for the purposes of energy security, Estonia’s power grid should be completely disconnected from the Russian grid, and connected more tightly to the Central European grids.

Representatives and experts of the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of the Environment, and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications also took part in the sitting.

The Committee heard that the work of the wind parks affects the collection of intelligence by radio systems and radars. The blades of the windmills disperse the radio signals, and the potential information cannot be positioned or identified. This means that the signal transmitted by a radar towards a flying object will not return.

Consequently, no wind parks can be constructed in Lääne- or Ida Viru Counties, and partly also Southern Estonia, because of security considerations.

A representative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications spoke of the importance of wind energy in meeting the the renewable energy percentage target.

Photos of the sitting.

Riigikogu Press Service
Epp-Mare Kukemelk
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