Estonian Battery Park Test Triggers Finland Power Link Disruption
A configuration error during the pre-launch testing of Estonia's new Kīza battery park on January 20 triggered a 1000 megawatt power deficit across the Baltic electricity system, severing both 'Estlink' power interconnections with Finland.
- —An electricity transmission disruption occurred on January 20, 2026, affecting both "Estlink 1" and "Estlink 2" interconnections between Estonia and Finland, causing a 1000 megawatt deficit in the Baltic electricity system.
- —The disruption was attributed to the testing phase of the new Kīza battery park, which was scheduled to begin operations the following week.
- —Estonian grid operator Elering identified an "Igaunijā esoša ierīce, kas ir pieslēgta pārvades tīklam un kuras uzvedība neatbilda pašreizējiem standartiem" (a device connected to the transmission network in Estonia whose behavior did not meet current standards) as the cause of the grid fluctuations.
- —Evecon, the operator of the Kīza battery park, stated that the error occurred during configuration and testing, and identified technology company NIDEC Conversion as primarily responsible for the incident.
- —The Kīza battery park, with a planned 100 megawatt capacity, is part of a larger energy storage complex in Estonia, co-developed by Evecon, Corsica Sole, and Mirova, with financial backing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Nordic Investment Bank.
- —Separately, Estonia is set to receive €50.9 million from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to strengthen its energy infrastructure against hybrid threats and improve grid reliability, with a total of €112.5 million allocated to a joint project with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
Recap
The Kīza park failure is a critical test for the Baltic region's energy sovereignty post-disconnection from Russia's grid. It reveals that integrating essential new technologies like large-scale battery storage introduces complex operational risks and dependencies on third-party vendors. The incident serves as a stark warning that grid stability is now contingent on rigorous vetting and control over these new systems, a concern amplified by concurrent EU funding to protect this very infrastructure from hybrid threats.