Enefit to invest €5 million in establishing EV charging network in Latvia

Energy company Enefit will invest €5 million this year, including €500,000 from Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the European Union subsidy scheme, to expand its Enefit Volt electric vehicle (EV) charging network from Estonia into Latvia.

The company aims to start working with Latvian companies this year to install over 100 public charging stations to create the largest charging network in the Baltics over the next few years.

In 2023, ten Enefit Volt fast charging stations with a maximum capacity of 300 kilowatts will be built at five locations on the Ventspils, Bauska and Tallinn motorways. This is among the most powerful charging solutions available today, recharging the battery of an electric car to around 80% in just 20 minutes. Each charging station will be equipped with two charging points, enabling it to charge four EVs at the same time. The stations will be located on the European transport network (TEN-T) linking Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, in places where EV owners park regularly and for long periods of time — near supermarkets, business centres and hotels. As in Estonia, customers in Latvia will be able to pay at the charging station via the Enefit Volt app, paying for the kilowatt-hours used rather than the charging time.

“Developing public charging infrastructure is one of our priorities for this year. In this way, we will also support local businesses by attracting additional customers for them — we have chosen strategic locations where car owners will be able to perform other daily chores while charging their vehicles without wasting any time. The first contracts are already being signed, and we will be working with popular local retail chains, leisure venues and other strategic partners to make them happen,” says Krists Mertens, Chairman of the Board of Enefit.

Enefit is currently actively developing its EV charging infrastructure in Estonia, where 197 public charging stations have already been installed. Its parent company Eesti Energia plans to launch nearly 1000 further public charging stations in the Baltics and Poland this year, becoming the largest charging operator in the region. In Latvia, the charging infrastructure is planned to be installed in areas with the highest volume of electric car users — primarily Riga and its surroundings, expanding to Ventspils, Jelgava, Bauska and Daugavpils.

“We will become part of an international charging network that will be centrally accessible and easy to use for all Enefit Volt app customers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. All active EV charging locations of the Enefit Group can already be viewed on the app. The launch of the charging network in Latvia is an important step towards promoting electro-mobility and ensuring a comprehensive charging infrastructure in the Baltics and beyond. In addition to fast charging stations, Latvia will also have standard stations with charging capacities from 22 to 240 kilowatts, fully meeting the needs of all drivers — both for everyday city driving and for international travel in an electric car,” says Mertens.

All Enefit charging stations in Estonia already use green energy from renewable sources, and the option to use green energy will also be on offer at charging stations in Latvia.

Source: Press release (www.labsoflatvia.com). Publicity photo.