Thank you, Mette, for organizing this very timely event. As you said, Danish energy reforms and approach have been a very good example and a role model for all of us for a long time. I am very glad to be here today with my colleagues to seek solutions to enhance and boost transition to renewable energy resources and cut ourselves off from Russian energy as this is being used as a weapon.
After rounds of interesting discussions, we have agreed on a joint declaration to increase our cooperation for bettering energy security and independence, namely through developing offshore wind energy. I am glad that we have a common ambition for offshore wind capacity for 2030 that will increase current capacity seven times. Offshore wind will help us to produce more affordable and clean energy and decarbonize our gas systems thanks to the hydrogen production.
What is also very important is to have better connections with neighbors. A key example is the on-going synchronization of Baltic electricity grids to Europe, where we are thankful for the EU support. To help fulfil offshore wind targets, Estonia has proposed the Baltic Offshore Grid Initiative, which aims to commonly plan and develop the necessary grid infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
I am very glad that Estonia and Latvia are developing a joint offshore wind farm. Today we heard from Ursula von der Leyen it is also included also to be in the EU funding. We are very proud to be part of it.
I am very glad that we are working together to be more interconnected by increasing cross-border capacities and links as well as working towards functioning common energy market in our region. All this is to have more affordable energy prices.
Estonia is also planning to adopt an integrated planning permit for offshore wind to simplify development. We discussed today how we have to proceed with common planning procedures for projects that are at EU-level. We will announce several new renewable energy tenders in the coming years in order to have more investments to energy sector.
Although becoming sustainable has been a long-term goal of us, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been an accelerator to this. We all stand for stopping the use of Russia’s energy by increasing as soon as possible the usage of renewable energy resources together.
If we are not using Russia’s energy, we are not fueling the war in Ukraine either.
On this note, I express my hopes that we are able to cut all imports of Russia’s energy to the EU for good. We simply cannot use an aggressors’ sources while Russia is torturing, terrorizing and murdering people in Ukraine.
Thank you.
