Enefit Outotec Technology, an enterprise majority-owned by the Estonian state oil shale processing company, Eesti Energia, has signed a deal with the Israeli firm, Rotem Energy, to export Estonia’s oil plant technology to Israel.
According to the contract, Rotem Energy Mineral Partnership will use Enefit’s knowhow, technology and licence to design an oil plant for Israel. Estonian experts are participating in all stages of the project, performing design and engineering work, offering technical support and other services necessary for creating the plant.
“Rotem chose Enefit’s technology for creating its oil plant because it is known to be the most effective industrially proven oil shale refining technology in the world with the least impact on the environment,” Margus Vals, a member of the Eesti Energia’s management board, said in a statement. He added that the Enefit technology allows to effectively use all mined oil shale and, for example, also process old car tyres and plastic waste into oil.
According to Eesti Energia, the mid-Israel area alone has two billion metric tons of oil shale reserves. By comparison, Estonia has registered a total of 4.6 billion metric tons of oil shale reserves.
The state-owned Eesti Energia, founded in 1939, is Estonia’s largest energy producer and the second largest company in the country. Its main source of energy production – oil shale – is extracted from mines located in eastern Estonia.
Cover: One of the Eesti Energia/Enefit power plants in Estonia (Eesti Energia).
