The municipality of Alutaguse in Ida-Viru County and the renewable energy producer Sunly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 14, setting a framework for the local benefits of Alutaguse wind park. The agreement includes an opportunity for the community to purchase electricity at a significantly reduced rate. Additionally, the wind park developer agrees to contribute in restoring the historic Tudulinna windmill.
Sunly is developing the Alutaguse wind park in collaboration with Metsakohin OÜ. It is planned to be located near Tudulinna village in East Estonia.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding, residents living within a radius of up to five kilometres from the Alutaguse wind park or with a view of the wind park from their homes will have the opportunity to purchase electricity at a fixed rate of 4.9 cents/kWh for ten years. This rate is approximately half the average market price of electricity from the previous year (10.92 cents/kWh). Additionally, Sunly offers companies within the Tudulinna Industrial and Energy Park in Alutaguse municipality the option to build a direct line to the wind park for grid-fee free energy consumption. To more precisely predict wind energy output, Sunly intends to begin wind measurements in the same industrial park next year.
According to Tauno Võhmar, the Mayor of Alutaguse, collaboration with Sunly in planning the wind park has been mutually understanding and based on trust, providing a good foundation for continued cooperation between the municipality, local community, and Sunly. "The new wind park will bring excellent opportunities to the Tudulinna area for the establishment of solar and storage parks, as well as energy-intensive production facilities, which would not be possible without the wind park," he added. The Alutaguse municipal government manages the municipality’s special planning procedure for wind energy and assists in communication with the local community.
Erkki Kallas, a member of Sunly’s board, stated that cooperation with the local community is significant for the company when building wind and solar parks. "We want to give back to the locals, and providing affordable electricity is one way of doing it," Kallas said. In addition to constructing the wind park, Sunly also supports the restoration of the historic Tudulinna windmill. "The plan is to turn the Tudulinna windmill into a public visitor centre that also offers information on the use of wind energy," Kallas added.
The special planning solution has identified locations for ten turbines. The next step, planned for November, is to submit the special planning document for approval, along with a strategic environmental impact assessment report. In early 2025, a public display will be held, where everyone can review the planning solution and provide feedback.
Once the wind park becomes operational, Sunly will also pay a national environmental fee (the so-called wind turbine levy), of which 50% will go to the municipality for local development and 50% to households within a three-kilometre radius influenced by the turbines.
