Western Estonian solar parks targeted by thieves, prompting police action
Several solar parks in Western Estonia have been hit by theft and vandalism, prompting police to open multiple investigations, regional paper Lääne Elu writes.
On February 25, 5.6 kilometers of electric cables were damaged at a Sunly solar park in the village of Kuke, prompting a criminal investigation; Sunly estimates the damage at €8,000.
Haapsalu police chief Andrei Taratuhin said the cases cover theft, attempted theft and vandalism. In the most recent incident, cut cables were dragged but remained on the property, making it an attempted theft.
Taratuhin said it's unclear whether the same person or group is behind all the incidents, as cable thefts at solar parks tend to follow a similar pattern.
He added that the cases aren't all hopeless, and that police are doing everything they can to identify the culprits.
Major developments in the area
Sunly, the renewable energy company behind one of the targeted facilities, is currently developing the largest solar park in the Baltics, along with wind and battery storage projects.
The company has also applied to build a €1.7 billion data center in nearby Risti, which would run and train AI models locally and serve as a major electricity consumer for its energy facilities.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
