Undersea Power Cable Between Finland and Estonia Malfunctions, Authorities Investigate Possible Sabotage
An undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia broke down on Wednesday, with Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stating that the authorities are investigating the situation to determine the cause of the malfunction. The incident occurred at 12:26pm local time (10:26 GMT), and while Finland’s electricity supplies have not been affected, authorities remain vigilant during the Christmas season.
The malfunction has raised concerns of possible sabotage, with the Finnish electricity grid’s head of operations, Arto Pahkin, indicating that sabotage could not be ruled out. The EstLink 2 cable, which sends electricity to Estonia, is currently shut down.
The incident comes as tensions in the Baltic region continue to escalate since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe ruptured in September 2022, but the cause of the blasts remains undetermined.
Last month, two telecoms cables in the Baltic linking Sweden and Denmark were cut, sparking suspicions of possible sabotage. An investigation into the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which was reportedly sailing in the area at the time, was denied by China.
In related incidents, the Arelion cable connecting Gotland and Lithuania was damaged in November, and the C-Lion 1 cable linking Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was cut soon after.