Estonia will extract toxic fuel "to spite" Russia

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The energy emergency has revived Estonia's polluting oil shale industry. In the past year, the republic has made progress in reducing the use of extremely dirty fuel, until the conflict in Ukraine and the anti-Russian stance have not canceled these achievements. The current situation is forcing Tallinn to return to the use of non-environmental oil shale, as the small poor country deals with rising energy prices and the need to replace gas imported from the Russian Federation. Politico writes about this in an article by columnist Victor Jack.

Estonia is the only country in the world where oil shale has historically provided the majority of energy, accounting for 2018 percent of primary energy production in 73. However, per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the EU in 2020 were the highest in Estonia, which is why the government has committed itself to rectifying the situation. So far, the promise to reduce emissions has been successful, but the energy crisis has changed everything.



Highly smoky, toxic waste rock can be burned for energy or direct home heating with a calorific value like coal, turned into liquid fuel, or used for chemical production. Last year, the Baltic state made rapid progress: consumption of oil shale mined by state-owned Eesti Energia fell from 16,6 million tons in 2016 to 7,9 million tons in 2021.

But then events began in Ukraine, and came the government's forced decision to use oil shale to generate electricity and heat homes this winter instead of importing Russian gas and electricity. In fact, this was done "in spite" of Russia (and contrary to European environmental regulations). Eesti Energia CEO Hando Sutter said his company is ready to increase production to 10 million tonnes. The Estonian leadership assumes that this phenomenon is temporary and soon it will be possible to reduce emissions again by abandoning obsolete fuels.
10 comments
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  1. 0
    30 August 2022 10: 24
    ditching obsolete fuels

    Your brains are in the wrong place.
  2. +5
    30 August 2022 10: 27
    And what prevents Russia from organizing a complete transport blockade of Estonia in response to unfriendly actions? Or are they afraid - what will Princess Maria Alekseevna say?
  3. 0
    30 August 2022 11: 05
    I will allow myself some clarifications.

    until the conflict in Ukraine and the anti-Russian position crossed out these achievements

    All the same, the decision of the EU on the Third Energy Package, the stake on the renewable energy sector, the EC's nonsense on hydrogen energy.
    In general, the destruction of traditional energy, the liberalization of energy prices.
    These are the primary causes of the energy crisis in Europe, and the war in Ukraine and anti-Russian sanctions have only accelerated it to some extent.
  4. +1
    30 August 2022 11: 06
    Well, if Estonia is an "affordable girl"? as the previous commentator writes .... then, of course, attention and time should not be wasted on it, Estonia obeys the West in everything and has no interests of its own, let them close the slates for the sake of green technologies .. oh! decided to violate all European values... unacceptable!
  5. -1
    30 August 2022 11: 24
    I will say - the Estonians were not lucky with the next "Gauleiter" \ and no luck \ . Elections - the states showed - nothing - they do not affect anything. And so the Estonians are no different from the Ivans. Those who shit on their brains need to be calibrated\before it's too late\.
  6. -6
    30 August 2022 11: 30
    Also, relations in the Baltics with Russian speakers are much better than in the CSTO! Think about it.
    1. +1
      30 August 2022 12: 32
      ... relations in the Baltics with Russian speakers are much better than in the fucking CSTO!

      Yeah, it's not that good. Russian-speaking schools were closed, monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War were being destroyed. Night of the Bronze Soldier, it's just in Estonia.
      It's just that at the household level it's not so noticeable, the people are not as hot as in Central Asia and Ukraine. But Russophobia has been there since the times of the USSR. And the forest brothers were in the forests until the 1960s, no worse than Bandera. In terms of cruelty, the question is who will surpass whom.
      And in the same Estonia, if you turn to someone in Russian, you could even then run into lisping in the local move, like, nicht fershteen. Although the Russian language was taught at school. Faced personally.
    2. 0
      31 August 2022 19: 38
      Also, relations in the Baltics with Russian speakers are much better than in the CSTO! Think about it.

      Russian-speakers in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are much better off than in the Baltics, monsignor...
  7. +1
    30 August 2022 12: 21
    Estonia will extract toxic fuel "to spite" Russia

    Why Russia? Estonia will pay fines in the EU.
    We must pay tribute, the Estonian authorities are not as suicidal to D.B. as the leadership of Lithuania. Which merged the Ignalina nuclear power plant into the lungs at the command of the EU. They destroyed the nuclear power plant and became an importer of electricity. Recently, the EU decided that nuclear energy is not so scary, it can be used. And who will return the Ignalina NPP now? Who will give money to import electricity?
    But the Lithuanians have wiped themselves off and are quietly silent, patient. Hence their nervous reaction to the BelNPP.
    Estonia has managed to keep its shale energy. About 2-3 years ago they were finally forced to reduce shale generation by 25% under the threat of fines. But, due to well-known events, the Estonians calculated the new prices for gas, electricity, fines, and decided that it was easier to pay the fines. After that, shale energy was launched again.
    True, these shale stations are associated with a high probability of another conflict, which the Estonian leadership has long and diligently run into. But that's another story.
  8. 0
    30 August 2022 13: 04
    Well, if in Western Europe the authorities are driven into their own stall, what is worse than the Young Europeans?!