Zero Terrain (Energiasalv) Paldiski, Estonia’s first pumped hydro energy storage system project, was initiated in 2009 by several energy companies to help the local energy system cope with the unpredictable fluctuations of renewable energy and enhance supply reliability and energy security.

The construction of the country’s first pumped hydro storage (PHS) plant will begin in 2025. The uniqueness of Zero Terrain pumped hydro storage technology lies in the fact that, compared to traditional plants built inside mountains, the company’s PHS can be applied on flat land.

As reported by Invest in Estonia, during the nominal operating cycle of 12 hours, Zero Terrain Paldiski generates 6GWh of power to the grid, which is more than the average daily consumption of all Estonian households.

Furthermore, in 2024 Zero Terrain received a grant of 1.98 million euros from the state’s applied research program for development and implementation activities, for minimizing the environmental footprint, for exporting the technology to countries where large-scale storage has not yet been possible due to geographical constraints, and for engaging new investors.

Part of the 1.98 million euro grant recently received through Enterprise Estonia’s applied research program will go to converting extracted gneiss into aggregate products using the best available technology and the smallest possible footprint (i.e. efficient and economical machinery).

In addition, minimal use is to be made of off-system environmental resources, which means that water used in the production process is not drawn from a water body or a well, but the water used in crushing is recycled – it is purified and reused. Unlike in almost all limestone quarries in Estonia, separate groundwater ingress pumping is not required for gneiss extraction.

Zero Terrain is mapping out potential interested parties from both Europe and the GCC region. Its technology was presented at the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai at the end of last year and during a visit to Saudi Arabia by the former Estonian Minister of Economy.