TALLINN - A Canadian investor specializing in renewable energy projects has expressed interest in building a wind generation facility on the island of Hiiumaa.
Greta Energy, a young firm headquartered in Toronto, announced that it is planning to set up a wind farm on the small island that could have a capacity of 310 megawatts.
In addition, the company, which is represented in Estonia by subsidiary AS Raunistal, is developing two 40 megawatt projects in Udria and Purtse, which if brought online would boost Greta Energy's total wind power output plans in the Baltic state to approximately 390 megawatts.
On Hiiumaa Greta Energy has contracted Garrad Hassan and Partner, a U.K.-based firm, to take wind measurements. The feasibility study, which is concentrated near the Kaina municipality, began in November.
The Hiiumaa project, if realized, will be eight times larger than the largest wind farm planned by Eesti Energia (Estonian Energy), the national utility.
Estonian Energy is planning to build a wind generation facility with 39 megawatts of capacity in northwestern Estonia 's which at present is the largest wind farm in the Baltics.
Ivan Khristenko, a board member of Raunistal, told the Eesti Paeveleht daily that a number of wind farms would be built on Hiiumaa. Two or three years will be needed to prepare the Hiiumaa project, he said.
The head of the Kaina municipality, Ullar Padari, was quoted earlier as claiming that, in accordance to plans presented by Raunistal, the wind farms would be situated mainly on fields.
"We've permitted them to set up their monitoring stations here, and the stations have been working for a few months already," he said, adding that data gathered so far suggests that there is enough wind in the area for the project to proceed.
Padari nevertheless predicted that negotiations will be difficult, since the wind generators would affect the view of Hiiumaa's picturesque landscapes and cause noise and vibration.
"Another question is whether the electricity will be produced for Estonian Energy's networks or for someone else," he said.
Raunistal officials have promised to consider objections by Hiiumaa residents and, if necessary, scale down their project.
Executives at OU Pohivork, Estonian Energy's subsidiary that operates the grid, said that so far they have not received a proposal to link up a new power generating entity on the island.
Greta Energy, which was created in 2004, is developing wind energy projects in Russia, Bosnia and Vietnam.
Raunistal is a joint holding of Greta Energy and the Estonian firm AS Mainor, which belongs to businessman Ulo Parnits.
