Estonian nuclear energy developer Fermi Energia has reduced its list of candidate sites for a 600 MW nuclear power plant from six to three, with Madala, Malla and Letipea in Viru-Nigula municipality remaining under consideration.
The three sites still under assessment will be evaluated against safety, environmental-impact and technical-feasibility requirements. Three locations previously considered in Lüganuse municipality were removed following a security assessment by the Ministry of Defence. The planning process is organised by Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications under a state special national plan.
Planning project manager Agnes Lihtsa said the reduction in candidate locations would help focus the work ahead, noting that input from authorities had clarified which areas warranted further study. The Ministry of Defence’s assessment concluded that three of the original six locations could not be taken forward.
The shortlist reduction does not shrink the wider planning area, which still covers eight municipalities. The potential facility would require electricity connections, cooling-water pipelines, access roads and other supporting infrastructure, and the locations of substations considered so far remain unchanged.
The next stage will involve developing preliminary infrastructure solutions for the remaining sites. First route-corridor alternatives are expected to be presented in early 2027, giving municipalities and local communities a clearer picture of the infrastructure options.
The Estonian government launched the special national plan for the nuclear power plant on 22 May 2025. The first stage aims to identify the most suitable site and supporting infrastructure by the end of 2027, after which a second stage would develop a detailed solution for the selected location and carry out additional impact assessments before final decisions are taken.
Source: Invest Estonia. Read the original (published 2026-11-10).
