The new connection from Endla to Elektrijaama has replaced the old cabling in-stalled during the period of Russian control. The historical heart of the old town and the carefully protected walls posed additional challenges for the project.
Careful precision drilling was required
The soil had to be studied carefully, since accurate documents regarding the location of all earlier installations had not been preserved. A considerable number of various distribution lines (electricity, water, gas, heating, data transfer etc.) had to be located beneath the town’s streets and walls.
The cabling runs a 4 km journey from Endla via Tönismäe to Elektrijaama’s electricity plant near Tallinn’s harbour. Ultimately, most of the electricity line shall run underground. The installed cable is XLPE-insulated and contains a 300 mm2 aluminium conductor.
Much of the installation was completed using a new “horizontal drilling” technique. This method made it possible to perform cable routing without a need for the more commonly used large open excavations, which normally would have disturbed traffic - as well as the other underground distribution lines. It was also possible to direct the cabling underneath the Old Town’s wall, at a depth of 4-6 metres, without damaging the culturally and histori-cally valuable wall. This difficult drilling was completed one 400 m section at a time. At the same time, a protective plastic tube for the cables was placed into the drilled hole.
Collaboration between SLO Eesti and Reka Cables
SLO Eesti’s managing director, Pekka Syrjäkari, is pleased with Reka’s performance. Ac-cording to him a flexible and reliable cable provider was needed as the project’s schedule was lagging. Being a Finnish family-run enterprise, Reka was capable of adjusting to the client’s wishes and delivering the cables when required.
Cable industry's prospects in Estonia
Underground cables are currently supplied mostly to power plants and to building contrac-tors. Underground cables have a significantly higher working reliability than aerial cables. This will undoubtedly increase the demand for underground cables in the near future. Moreover, several new buildings and industrial estates, which require underground cables for electricity connections, are under construction in Estonia. To succeed in the Estonian cable market a comprehensive product range is a must. Prospects
as well as expectations for the field are highly optimistic.
SLO Eesti
Sonepar Nordic’s subsidiary
Headquarter: Tallinn
Number of branches: 6
Number of associates: 54
