Information regarding the national designated spatial plan for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure necessary for its operation

Address Suur-Ameerika 1/ Tallinn 10122, Estonia/ Phone +372 626 2802/ E-mail [email protected]/ Web

Page www.kliimaministeerium.ee/ Registration No 70001231

To the Points of Contact for the Espoo Convention in Finland and Latvia

15.04.2026 7-15/26/1337-3

Information regarding the national designated spatial

plan for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure necessary for its operation

Estonia hereby provides early information to Finland and Latvia regarding the initiation of the

national designated spatial plan (NDSP) together with the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure necessary for its operation.

Given that the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project as a whole also involves Lithuania, Poland and Germany, this letter is also sent to them for informational purposes.

On 23 March 2026, the Government of the Republic of Estonia initiated the preparation of the NDSP together with the SEA for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure

necessary for its operation. The purpose of the NDSP is to plan a hydrogen corridor extending over mainland Estonia and to establish the conditions necessary for the implementation of the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project (additional information on the project in English is

available here).The planning area covers 6522,76 km2 and includes a total of 24 municipalities in Harju, Rapla, Lääne, Järva, Pärnu, Viljandi and Valga counties in Estonia. A map of the planning

area (in Estonian) is available here. The NDSP will provide an integrated spatial solution for the proposed hydrogen infrastructure

which is expected to include the following structures: a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline operating above 16 bar, gas distribution and metering stations, a compressor station and

other gas-related facilities. The connection is planned as one or two underground pipelines with a total onshore length of approximately 250–300 km, extending from the Latvian border to the northern coast of Estonia. Valve nodes and up to two compressor stations are also planned.

This letter is sent for early information-sharing purposes. Finland and Latvia will be informed

about the progress of the planning procedure in the next stages. Based on the current schedule for preparing the NDSP and carrying out the SEA, it is estimated that the adoption of the NDSP could take place in 2028.

Furthermore, we would like to note that the offshore section of the hydrogen corridor will be

addressed through a separate procedure. A superficies licence application procedure, together with an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be carried out for this purpose. The developer is expected to submit the application for the superficies licence within the year 2026.

For additional questions concerning the NDSP, please contact Ms. Monika Korolkov (adviser, land use and spatial planning policy department, Ministry of Economic Affairs and

Communications; e-mail: [email protected]).

Sincerely Yours,

(signed electronically) Birgit Parmas

Point of Contact for the Espoo Convention

List of recipients Finland: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), [email protected];

[email protected] Latvia: State Environment Service, [email protected]

For information Germany: Ms. Isabel Land, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature

Conservation and Nuclear Safety, [email protected] Lithuania: Mr. Vitalijus Auglys, Ministry of Environment, [email protected]; Ms Beata

Vilimaite Silobritiene, [email protected] Poland: Ms. Dorota TORYFTER-SZUMANSKA, General Directorate for Environmental Protection, [email protected]; [email protected], [email protected]

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, [email protected] Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, [email protected]

Elering AS, [email protected]

Lilli Tamm, +372 6269133

[email protected]

Address Suur-Ameerika 1/ Tallinn 10122, Estonia/ Phone +372 626 2802/ E-mail [email protected]/ Web

Page www.kliimaministeerium.ee/ Registration No 70001231

To the Points of Contact for the Espoo Convention in Finland and Latvia

15.04.2026 7-15/26/1337-3

Information regarding the national designated spatial

plan for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure necessary for its operation

Estonia hereby provides early information to Finland and Latvia regarding the initiation of the

national designated spatial plan (NDSP) together with the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure necessary for its operation.

Given that the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project as a whole also involves Lithuania, Poland and Germany, this letter is also sent to them for informational purposes.

On 23 March 2026, the Government of the Republic of Estonia initiated the preparation of the NDSP together with the SEA for the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and the infrastructure

necessary for its operation. The purpose of the NDSP is to plan a hydrogen corridor extending over mainland Estonia and to establish the conditions necessary for the implementation of the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project (additional information on the project in English is

available here).The planning area covers 6522,76 km2 and includes a total of 24 municipalities in Harju, Rapla, Lääne, Järva, Pärnu, Viljandi and Valga counties in Estonia. A map of the planning

area (in Estonian) is available here. The NDSP will provide an integrated spatial solution for the proposed hydrogen infrastructure

which is expected to include the following structures: a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline operating above 16 bar, gas distribution and metering stations, a compressor station and

other gas-related facilities. The connection is planned as one or two underground pipelines with a total onshore length of approximately 250–300 km, extending from the Latvian border to the northern coast of Estonia. Valve nodes and up to two compressor stations are also planned.

This letter is sent for early information-sharing purposes. Finland and Latvia will be informed

about the progress of the planning procedure in the next stages. Based on the current schedule for preparing the NDSP and carrying out the SEA, it is estimated that the adoption of the NDSP could take place in 2028.

Furthermore, we would like to note that the offshore section of the hydrogen corridor will be

addressed through a separate procedure. A superficies licence application procedure, together with an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be carried out for this purpose. The developer is expected to submit the application for the superficies licence within the year 2026.

For additional questions concerning the NDSP, please contact Ms. Monika Korolkov (adviser, land use and spatial planning policy department, Ministry of Economic Affairs and

Communications; e-mail: [email protected]).

Sincerely Yours,

(signed electronically) Birgit Parmas

Point of Contact for the Espoo Convention

List of recipients Finland: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), [email protected];

[email protected] Latvia: State Environment Service, [email protected]

For information Germany: Ms. Isabel Land, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature

Conservation and Nuclear Safety, [email protected] Lithuania: Mr. Vitalijus Auglys, Ministry of Environment, [email protected]; Ms Beata

Vilimaite Silobritiene, [email protected] Poland: Ms. Dorota TORYFTER-SZUMANSKA, General Directorate for Environmental Protection, [email protected]; [email protected], [email protected]

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, [email protected] Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, [email protected]

Elering AS, [email protected]

Lilli Tamm, +372 6269133

[email protected]