European Parliament makes decision favorable of producing diesel from oil shale

Photo: Liis Treimann

The European Parliament on Wednesday did not support a resolution relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels, meaning that the situation remains favorable for producing motor fuel from oil shale in Estonia.

«The European Parliament narrowly did not adopt the fuel quality resolution. Hence the situation favorable for Estonia will prevail,» Estonian MEP Urmas Paet said on social media.

In his remarks released earlier on Wednesday, Estonia's Environment Minister Mati Raidma said the fuel directive being handled by the European Parliament was suitable for Estonia in its present form and would mean that motor fuels made from oil shale will be competitive in the European Union in the future.

The fuel quality directive in its present form would treat motor fuels as equal regardless of whether they have been produced from crude oil or oil shale. «Estonia has been a strong supporter of that line, it's important for us to get an assurance that producing oil shale fuel from oil shale, which is significantly more environment friendly than producing electricity from oil shale, is acceptable for the EU market. So that it was legal and possible to sell that fuel in European Union member states,» Raidma said.

The resolution voted down by the European Parliament on Wednesday opposed the adoption of the draft Council directive as not compatible with the declared aim of the directive and called on the Commission to withdraw the draft Council directive and to submit a new one to the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.