Utilitas produced 85% of its energy from renewable sources

Utilitas, Estonia’s largest renewable energy producer, produced 340 GWh of green energy in the second quarter of this year, which is 85% of the Group’s total production.

In total, Utilitas produced about 400 GWh of energy in the second quarter, of which 293 GWh of heat and 106 GWh of electricity.

“We have consistently invested in both technology and fuel exchange in our regions in order to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. As an annual average, more than 2/3 of Utilitas’ heat production uses more than 2/3 of biomass and waste heat, allowed us the low use of natural gas to keep the price of heat up to twice as low as in areas where heat is produced only from natural gas,” explained Priit Koit, CEO of Utilitas Group. “The construction of additional wind energy capacities will contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in the whole region and reduce the need to use fossil fuels also in the production of electricity.”

The accelerated construction of new renewable energy capacities plays a crucial role in resolving the energy crisis. Assuming that state and local municipalities cooperate effectively with developers and accelerate the planning and permitting procedures, Utilitas estimates that the number of onshore wind turbines can be quadrupled in five years compared to the current level, and offshore wind parks with a capacity of 2.7 GW can be installed. Such additional production capacity enables Estonia to become net exporter of electricity and helps to achieve energy independence.

Utilitas is actively engaged in the development of new onshore and offshore park projects at various stages of development all over Estonia. At the end of June, Utilitas signed an agreement with the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, from which 9 modern V150 wind turbines were ordered to install in Saarde Parish, Pärnu County.  With an expected total production of 135 GWh, it will become the largest wind park in Estonia.  In Latvia, the installation of 14 Vestas wind turbines in Tārgale wind park was completed in June, which will start production of full-capacity electricity in the third quarter of this year and which, with an expected annual production of 155 GWh, will double the production of wind energy in Latvia. The Grobina wind park in Latvia was also added to Utilitas’ production portfolio from the second quarter of this year, the acquisition of which was completed by Utilitas in March.

Utilitas is the largest renewable energy producer and district heating company in Estonia and the largest producer of wind energy in Latvia. The company supplies heat to more than 18 million m² of the net area of buildings in eight cities all over Estonia and provides district cooling service in Tallinn.  All Utilitas district heating and cooling systems are recognized with the labels “Efficient District Heating” and “Efficient District Cooling”. The group’s companies operate a biomass-based combined heat and power stations, boilerplants, wind parks and solar power plants with a total capacity of 1.3 GW. In 2021, Utilitas produced 2.3 TWh of energy. Utilitas is moving towards carbon neutrality by building new renewable energy capacities in the region and investing in solar and wind power. Utilitas has been awarded the Gold level of national Corporate Social Responsibility Index 2022.