Lithuanian energy group Ignitis has proposed a gas-fired power plant of up to 200 megawatts near Tartu, with its Estonian subsidiary seeking to begin detailed planning for the facility in Kastre municipality.
Ignitis Renewables DevCo1 OÜ submitted an application to Kastre municipality at the end of September to initiate the detailed planning process for the plant in Uniküla, writes Postimees Majandus. The proposed site is the Raudsepa property, on farmland between two roads near Tartu.
Ignitis moves into detailed planning
The planning area would cover 60.1 hectares, including the land needed for the power plant and its necessary connections. The proposed facility would have a capacity of up to 200MW and is intended to help restart Estonia’s electricity system after a major interruption.
The application marks the beginning of a more detailed assessment of the proposed location and infrastructure needs. At this stage, the project is being advanced through the municipal planning process rather than construction.
The proposed site is in Uniküla, a settlement in Kastre municipality near Tartu. The plant would occupy part of the Raudsepa property, while the broader planning area would also account for the connections required to link the facility to the surrounding infrastructure.
A potential €200M energy investment
Kastre’s municipality estimates that the gas-fired power plant could cost €200M. That figure represents the municipality’s assessment of the potential project cost. Ignitis has not yet made a final investment decision on whether to build the facility.
The project therefore remains at the planning and development stage. The company’s subsidiary has asked the municipality to begin the detailed planning process, but the application itself does not confirm that construction will proceed.
If advanced, the proposed plant would form part of Estonia’s electricity infrastructure near Tartu and would be designed to support the restarting of the national electricity system following a major outage. The planned capacity is up to 200MW, while the final scope and investment decision remain to be determined by Ignitis.
For Kastre municipality, the proposal would place a large energy project on a 60.1-hectare planning area in Uniküla. The next stage concerns the detailed planning of the site and its connections, with the estimated €200M cost and final investment decision still ahead.
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