Sustainable Estonian Archipelago

Introduction

SEA will support local leaders to deliver a step change in progress towards carbon neutrality by 2040 in the West-Estonian archipelago. The Climate Emergency and Energy Transition agendas require clear leadership, ambition, courage, and conviction if our 2040 targets and goals are to be achieved.

Energy and Climate Consultants

SEA will create a unit of Energy and Climate consultants who, through their actions and inspiration, will drive public authorities, communities, and the region. They will extend their approaches from one focused mainly on energy efficiency and renewables to the strategic goal of climate neutrality by 2040.

Ambitious Goals

They will set new levels of ambition compared to National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and showcase local leadership and innovation.

Challenges Faced

Public bodies on Estonian islands lack agency to implement the green transition. Critical barriers include:

• Limited internal capacity
• Funding shortfalls
• Nationally, private financing (EPC) has not been deployed
• Project aggregation has not taken place

Project Focus

The SEA proposal focuses on accelerating the green transition in one region, the archipelago, creating a replicable approach that can then be used in other (island) regions.

Phase I

SEA will develop and implement in Phase I:

1. 12 energy projects
2. Investment of €35M
3. Primary energy savings of 11 GWh
4. Renewable energy delivered: 42 GWh/year

Phase II

Phase II, beyond the project lifetime, will target:

• Savings of 45 GWh
• A significant amount of new offshore wind energy delivered
• Investment of €175M

The projects will be financed via a combination of Estonian and EU public funds and private financing, with a reduction in GHG of 8,048 tCO2.

Coordinated Approach

SEA will address the challenges in a coordinated and systematic way, building on the experience and expertise of the Tartu Region Energy Agency and Tallinn University of Technology.

Aggregation Service

SEA will be the first aggregation service developed for:

• Renovation of public buildings
• Decarbonizing transport
• Procuring for energy agencies across multiple local authorities

This approach will address the financing barrier.