Energy, Estonia, Good for Business, Legislation

"If everything goes as planned, we hope to get the first output from the underground mine at the end of 2020 or at the beginning of 2021," Eesti Energia board member Andres Vainola said at an environment and energy conference of Eesti Energia on Friday. He added that the annual volume of output could rise to almost 3 million tons already in 2021, which corresponds to over 6 terawatt-hours of primary energy.

The Eesti Energia board member said that an international procurement to buy necessary equipment has been announced and there are many parties that have shown interest in the tender. Several offers have been made.

"We are negotiating with four or five suppliers at least," Vainola said.

Eesti Energia is switching from open-pit mining to underground mining because as the oil shale mining front in northeastern Estonia moves to the south, where the layer of oil shale lies deeper, the cost of earth removal in open pit mining becomes too high.

In addition, the longwall method allows to cut losses.

"Longwall mining will reduce oil shale loses to 5-10%. With the room and pillar method that we have been using in underground mining so far we leave 22-35% of oil shale below ground to underpin the surface. In longwall mining the ground is let to collapse and we can bring out more of the oil shale," Eesti Energia board member Margus Vals said last year.

In the international public procurement tender, Eesti Energia is procuring an underground harvester, a ceiling support system and the necessary support infrastructure for the harvester, including power supply, a conveyor system and a crusher.