Eesti Energia gets conditional permit to heat Narva with shale oil

Estonia’s Environmental Board has conditionally allowed Eesti Energia to use shale oil instead of natural gas to heat the city of Narva, ERR reported. The company may switch fuels only if gas supplies are at risk of being interrupted.

Narva was last heated with shale oil four years ago, when natural gas prices were extremely high. At that time, Enefit Power was allowed to use the fuel throughout the heating season.

Enefit Power expects supply problems this year but has not confirmed whether it will be able to use shale oil. Company board chairman Raine Pajo said the company was positive about the possibility but was still assessing whether heat supplies to the city could be maintained and how likely a gas supply interruption was.