Energy, Energy Market, Estonia

Where the extraction permit for the Uus-Kivioli mine authorized in 2011 got definitively tangled up in litigation last year; this time, however, Eesti Energia hopes for a smoother process as it intends to cooperate with their biggest competitor, Viru Keemia Grupp, the northeast Estonia based oil shale mining and oil shale energy company.

Veljo Aleksandrov, project manager at Eesti Energia said that the two companies are cooperating to ensure less of an impact on the environment, and an optimal, more rational and cost-effective solution.

At a public meeting on Monday evening, a people's initiative was presented, along with the opinion that the municipal council could delay their answer to the Estonian Environmental Board until next year.

Chairman of the municipal council Risto Lindeberg said that the items in the initiative have to be reviewed. "At a glance, it seemed that most of them are already included in the municipality's proposal. A request for delay must be thoroughly substantiated," he said.

Luganuse municipal council will present their position on the planned mine on Wednesday. In case of a refusal, the government has the last say regarding the extraction permit, ERR said.

Tiit Rahe, chief mineral resources specialist at the Estonian Environmental Board, noted that the government's decision overrules that of the rural municipality's.