The Latvian electricity distribution system operator Sadales Tikls has announced plans to invest an average of EUR 76 million annually in electricity grids over the next ten years, the company has told the LETA News Agency.
The company’s current decade-long development plan has already been approved by the Public Utilities Commission as the regulator, the company added.
Sadales Tikls manages more than 92,000 km of power lines in Latvia. An average annual investment of EUR 76 million will allow the company to upgrade around 1,400 to 1,800 km of lines each year, and two to four transformer substations are to be reconstructed.
The cycle of reconstruction and upgrades is based on the power grid’s technical lifetime. The planned lifetime of a power line is 30-50 years, depending on the technical solution that has been brought to bear, the company explained. The purpose is to ensure quality and reliability.
Sadales Tikls CEO Sandis Jansons says that the electricity infrastructure which the company manages is vast, and so the upgrading of power lines is a phased and constant process. Overheard cables are rebuilt annually into underground cable lines, or else they are replaced with more durable insulated conductors.
The proportion of insulated and weather-resistant electricity elements is currently more than 65%, with plans to boost that to at least 75% over the next ten years.
Sadales Tikls will also continue to access EUR 78 million in funds from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility in 2025 and 2026. Part of the money will be invested in power grid upgrades and capacity increases.
Source: BNS
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