OREANDA-NEWS. February 13, 2014. After a successful testing phase, the EstLink 2 650 megawatt underwater power cable connecting Estonia to Finland has been opened for commercial operations.

The link, which was officially opened, has tripled the energy connection between the two nations, Elering said in a press release.

The line, which stretches 145 kilometers underwater in the Gulf of Finland, is owned by Estonian and Finnish transmission system operators Elering and Fingrid. It was paid for by the European Union (100 million euros), and the two companies (110 million each).

The cable starts from Pussi, which is a few kilometers west of Johvi in Ida-Viru County. It enters the sea at the village of Moldova, and runs to Porvoo, Finland, which is 50 kilometers east of Helsinki.

The increased capacity will add 50 million euros to the Estonia's economy annually, said Taavi Veskimagi, the head of Elering, to Postimees on Saturday.

Sandor Liive, the chaiman of the management board of Eesti Energia, said he welcomes the development, as Eesti Energia's market has expanded, adding that the company produced twice as much electricity last year than Estonia's internal needs.