Estonia launches shale oil plant costing more than €380 million
Enefit Industry has launched the new Enefit 280-2 shale oil production plant in Auvere, Ida-Viru County. The construction of the facility cost more than €380 million, and around 150 people have been employed there, ERR News reports.
Capacity of the new facility
According to Enefit Industry CEO Lauri Karb, the plant can produce up to 268,000 tonnes of oil per year. He called Enefit 280-2 the most powerful facility in the company's oil production complex and said it has better emissions performance than previous units.
The facility has already produced more than 15,000 tonnes of oil. Karb also noted that the new unit makes it possible to obtain slightly more oil from a tonne of oil shale than older plants.
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Demand and emissions rules
The oil produced at the plant will be used as a component of low-sulphur marine fuel. According to Karb, it can also be used as a fuel substitute at boiler houses during crisis periods when natural gas supplies are disrupted or its prices are high.
Enefit is a subsidiary of the state-owned Eesti Energia. The company and private shale oil producer VKG said they have not recorded a decline in interest in these products on the global market. At the same time, Eesti Energia Supervisory Board Chair Anne Mere said that potential risks include European Commission plans to change tax rules related to CO2 emissions.
According to her, this could put producers operating on the European market at a disadvantage compared with companies from regions with less stringent requirements. Mere added that demand for liquid fuels has increased somewhat recently.
