Estonia’s transmission system operator Elering plans to reinforce key electricity infrastructure with concrete barriers following a drone strike near the country’s eastern border, Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR.ee reported on March 27.

As reported by bne IntelliNews, in the morning of March 25, a drone entered Estonian airspace and struck a chimney at the Auvere power plant in Ida-Viru County, close to Russia. 

Drawing on Ukraine’s experience, Estonia is now considering protective measures, including encasing transformers in reinforced concrete structures designed to absorb blast damage and shrapnel from drone strikes.

The approach offers a cheaper alternative to underground facilities, which officials estimate could cost around €100mn per substation. By contrast, reinforcing key components above ground may cost roughly €5mn each, ERR.ee said.

The Auvere incident underscores rising security risks to critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, prompting investment in resilience as energy systems face increasing exposure to geopolitical and hybrid threats.

Estonian authorities indicated the drone most likely originated from Ukraine and had strayed into Estonian airspace while taking part in a wider strike targeting the Russian port of Ust-Luga.