ESTONIAN MINISTRY, ZERO TERRAIN INK MOU TO BUILD PUMPED-HYDRO ENERGY STORAGE 

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- The Estonian Ministry of Climate has signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with energy company Zero Terrain to construct a pumped-hydro energy storage (PHS) project in the country.

According to a statement, this cooperation will help Estonia achieve its 100 per cent renewable energy goal by 2030, and Zero Terrain is collaborating closely with the government to devise solutions to enable the realisation of the PHS project.

Zero Terrain Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Peep Siitam said signing the MoU is a significant step forward in Zero Terrain's journey towards a clean and secure energy future.

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“This collaboration signifies the cooperation and a commitment to driving positive change in the Estonian renewable energy landscape,” he said.

Additionally, Zero Terrain receives a grant of 1.98 million euros from the state’s applied research programme to support its project development in Estonia and technology export. (1 euro = RM 5.08)

Siitam added that the grant will be used to develop Zero Terrain modular design, start development activities in other countries, and involve new investors in Zero Terrain Paldiski, Estonia.

The Zero Terrain Paldiski 500 megawatt (MW) underground long-duration energy storage plant is a significant advancement of the conventional PHS technology, making it possible to build anywhere, even on flat land.

Paldiski PHS plant is an European Union (EU) Project of Common Interest (PCI). It is the only greenfield PHS project in the Northern Baltic region and will also be the largest facility in the country.

Estonia´s first long-duration energy storage project, Zero Terrain Paldiski, obtained the main building permits in December 2022, and construction will begin in 2025. During the nominal operating cycle of 12 hours, Zero Terrain Paldiski generates six Gigawatt hour (GWh) of power to the grid.

Zero Terrain is jointly owned by the Estonian energy company AS Alexela, Baltic-Polish renewable energy company Sunly AS, Vool OÜ, Combiwood Grupp OÜ, Warmeston OÜ, and Ronnivara OÜ.

-- BERNAMA