For the first time, Estonia’s technology Enefit will be used to build an oil plant outside the country. Tallinn-headquartered Eesti Energia is the major stakeholder of Enefit Outotec Technology, which signed an agreement with the Israeli company Rotem Energy Mineral Partnership (REM) to start the design work of the first oil plant based on Enefit technology.
According to Margus Vals, member of the management board of Eesti Energia, the Enefit technology is known to be the most effective industrially proven oil shale refining technology in the world with the least impact on the environment.
“The unique Enefit technology created by Estonian engineers allows to effectively use all mined oil shale, and process into oil old car tyres and perspectively also plastic waste,” said Mr Vals. “It’s this efficiency and the capability to support solving environmental problems through a circular economy that makes Enefit technology attractive. One of Eesti Energia’s business fields is the export of our unique expertise and oil shale technology to countries that wish to examine their oil shale reserves more closely and put them into use. Results achieved in the last year prove this choice to be correct.”
Enefit technology allows using all of the mined oil shales. Additional energy needed for oil production is minimal, as the production equipment is supplying it on its own, and the shale gas with the high thermal value produced as a by-product can be used to produce electricity in power plants. This way Enefit technology will obtain more than 80 per cent of the energy contained in the resource.
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 oil plant. Whereas Estonia has registered a total of 4.6 billion tons of oil shale reserves, just the Mid-Israel area of Mishor Rotem where REM is operating has 2 billion tons of oil shale reserves.
Prior to this, a license agreement has been signed between the companies, which means that in the case of a positive investment decision, it will be Enefit technology that is used for creating the plant. In addition, Eesti Energia is participating in the project as a consultant.
