Eesti Energia wants to try out burning coal at Baltic Power Plant

Photo: Margus Ansu

Eesti Energia Narva Elektrijaamad, the power generating subsidiary of Estonia's state-owned Eesti Energia group, has applied to the Environmental Board to have the integrated environmental permit of its Baltic Power Plant changed so as to conduct coal burning tests at the plant.

The tests are expected to last for 40-60 days, with the share of coal ranging from 5 to 50 percent in the trials.

Eesti Energia board member and CFO Margus Kaasik has earlier told BNS that after the new oil factory of the group goes into operation and the new power plant currently under construction at Auvere is ready, potential utilization of oil shale will exceed extraction volumes.

Because of this, Eesti Energia is preparing for burning other fuels at its Narva power plants so that oil shale could be partly replaced with them when necessary. "Last year we achieved good results with burning woodchips, this can be repeated when necessary," Kaasik said. The company is also testing low-energy-value coal. "We're searching for new opportunities all the time," he said.