Electricity prices in Estonia
What a household in Estonia pays for electricity, where the power comes from, and how the country differs from its neighbours.
Estonia is a small power system in the middle of a large change. For decades nearly all of its electricity came from oil shale burned in the big plants around Narva. Oil shale is still the largest single source, but wind, solar and biomass now produce more between them, and the country generates less than it consumes. Imports from Finland, Latvia and Lithuania therefore help decide what Estonians pay for each kilowatt-hour.
The wholesale price is set a day ahead for a single Estonian bidding zone. Two undersea cables across the Gulf of Finland tie that zone to Finland, so the Estonian price often matches the Finnish one, and pulls away upwards when the cables are full or out of service.
The exchange's hourly prices in Estonia may not be freely republished, so this page does not show them. The household prices here are Eurostat's official figures, updated every six months.
Where does the electricity in Estonia come from?
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh).
Household price since 2023
Average price per kWh, all-in, for a household using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year. Source: Eurostat (nrg_pc_204).
A household in Estonia using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 21.2 c/kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, 8% less than a year before (Eurostat).
Eurostat's figure for each half-year, with taxes, levies, network costs and VAT. Updated twice a year.
How the electricity price works in Estonia
One zone, one exchange price
Estonia forms one bidding zone, EE, in the European day-ahead market coupling, where Nord Pool is the main exchange for the Baltic region. Since October 2025 the price is fixed for every quarter of an hour rather than every hour. Households have been free to pick their supplier since the market opened fully in January 2013, and most choose between a fixed price for a period and a contract that follows the exchange. The Competition Authority (Konkurentsiamet) approves network tariffs, while the state-owned Elering runs the transmission grid and keeps the system in balance.
Network fees, excise and the renewable charge
An Estonian bill has more lines than the energy itself. The distribution company, for most homes Elektrilevi, charges for the use of the local grid. On top come the renewable energy charge, which pays for support to wind, solar and biomass producers, and an excise duty on electricity. VAT is then added to the whole amount. Because network fees and levies change far less often than the exchange price, it is the energy part that makes the bill move from one month to the next.
Cables, weather and the cost of carbon
Three things move the Estonian price more than anything else. The first is the link to Finland: when Estlink 1 and Estlink 2 have room to spare, cheaper Nordic power flows south and the two prices converge; when a cable fails, Estonia falls back on its own plants and on its Baltic neighbours. The second is the weather, since wind and sun now cover a large part of demand on good days. The third is the price of EU emission allowances, which decides how expensive the last kilowatt-hours from oil shale become when wind and imports fall short.
From oil shale to a mixed system
Oil shale made Estonia unusually self-reliant, but it also gave the country one of the most carbon-intensive power sectors in Europe. As carbon prices rose, the old units became costly to run, and their output fell sharply from the late 2010s. Wind farms, solar panels on fields and roofs, and wood-fired combined heat and power plants have filled much of the gap. Hydropower barely exists and gas plays only a minor role. The rest is imported, and imported power does not show up in the generation mix on this page.
Between Finland and the rest of the Baltics
Estonia sits at a junction. To the north, Finland runs on nuclear power, including the large Olkiluoto 3 reactor, and on a fast-growing wind fleet, and its price is usually lower than the Baltic ones. To the south, Latvia relies on hydropower from the Daugava and on gas, while Lithuania has turned into a wind country that still imports a lot. The Estonian price therefore tends to land between the Finnish and the Latvian level, closer to Finland when the cables are free.
Estonia compared with its neighbours
In 2024, coal, lignite and peat made 23%, bioenergy made 21% and wind made 18% of the electricity generated in Estonia. Wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and bioenergy together made 57% of generation in Estonia.
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh). Pumped hydro is left out.
Voltly does not cover Estonia yet
Voltly shows hourly prices in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium.
Voltly is for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Questions about the electricity price in Estonia
- What does an ordinary household in Estonia pay for electricity?
- A household in Estonia using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 21.2 c/kWh per kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, according to Eurostat. The price varies with the network company and the contract.
- How much of the electricity in Estonia comes from coal, lignite and peat?
- 23% of the electricity generated in Estonia came from coal, lignite and peat in 2024 (Eurostat), the largest single source.
- How does the power mix in Estonia compare with the neighbours?
- In 2024: Estonia: coal, lignite and peat 23%, bioenergy 21%; Finland: nuclear 39%, wind 25%; Latvia: hydro 51%, gas 26%; Lithuania: wind 46%, solar 19%.
- Why does this page show no hourly prices for Estonia?
- Estonia's day-ahead prices come from Nord Pool, and its data may not be freely republished. The page shows Eurostat's official household prices instead, which include network fees, taxes and levies and so are closer to what a home actually pays than the bare exchange price.
- What changed when Estonia left the Russian grid in 2025?
- On 8 February 2025 Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the grid they had shared with Russia and Belarus since Soviet times, and the next day they synchronised with continental Europe through Lithuania's link to Poland. Trade in Russian electricity had already stopped in 2022, so the main change was technical: the Baltic grid operators now keep the frequency stable themselves, inside the European system.
- Does Estonia still burn oil shale for electricity?
- Yes, but much less than before. The Narva plants still run when wind and imports cannot cover demand, and oil shale remains the largest single source in the yearly figures. Its role keeps shrinking as wind and solar grow and as emission allowances make every kilowatt-hour from shale more expensive.