ELF is aware of the negative outcomes of the current oil shale mining and production practice of Estonia’s main electric power: environmental impacts (including the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and the resulting global warming and groundwater pollution), irreversible destruction of landscapes and associations when expanding mining. Obvious also are the negative impacts on the local community and the fact that the profit from actions on the spot is non-existing in long perspective.

As a result, ELF has tried urged the state, organizations dealing with energy, and local communities to find and invest into seeking of alternative solutions, in order to reduce the impact of electricity produced from oil shale to environment and to find solutions with as little environmental impact as possible. In doing so, we should principally prefer the renewable energy over the finite energy sources.

Inevitable is however the fact that every way of producing energy has a negative environmental impact and not all renewable energies are environmental friendly at all times and in all places. For instance, hydropower industry rather damages natural diversity in our conditions (fish stocks, preservation of the biota in rivers etc.). Estonian people would hardly wish to live and work without electricity and central heating, but energy’s consumption should be provided by the types of energy that are least environmental hostile.

Environmental impact of renewable energy projects becomes apparent during the assessment of environmental impact, which should not be less thorough than it has become norm in European Union.

Without carrying out the necessary environmental researches and without necessary data, ELF cannot give assessments to the planned projects. It is vital that in the fields of potential wind energy production, adequate environmental researches should be conducted, which would help to find regions with the least potential for environmental impact when producing energy.

In order to gather the data related to Estonia’s energy, carry out fundamental researches and form a common strategy, many circles have started to talk about the establishment of an independent energy agency. We advise the state to consider this option, as these days various offices and organizations treat the energy topic uncoordinated – for instance, issues of nuclear energy are discussed by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Economic Affairs, introduction of biomass in the Ministry of Agriculture and oil shale mining in the Ministry of Environment.

Jüri-Ott Salm

Managing Director of ELF, Member of the Executive Committee