Govenment sets 'clean industry' by 2050 goal for Eesti Energia

The government has removed a clause stating that state-owned energy group Eesti Energia must achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and instead set a new goal to reach "clean industry" by 2050.
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) signed the agreement, the Ministry of Finance announced Monday. It now wants the company to focus on utilizing future technologies to move toward more efficient and cleaner energy production.
While the previous expectations said that the company's value should be increased through the use of oil shale and other natural resources, the updated version removes the phrase "oil shale and other natural resources."
Now, the company is expected to grow its value through activities in the energy sector and related fields.
The general objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045 has been replaced with the goal of reaching "clean industry" by 2050. The document defines clean industry as one whose production processes result in no direct greenhouse gas emissions.
Eesti Energia must also continuously reduce the CO₂ emissions per unit of output across its production portfolio, keeping in line with or exceeding the national CO₂ emission reduction trajectory.

2026 target remains unchanged
The company's requirement to ensure at least 1,000 megawatts of dispatchable electricity generation capacity in Estonia until the end of 2026 remains unchanged, with only the word "market-based" added.
A new requirement for the energy group is that, starting in 2027, Eesti Energia must maintain market-based, domestically controlled dispatchable electricity generation capacity. What form this should take — such as oil shale or gas power plants — is not specified.
Where the 2022 owner's expectations stated that Eesti Energia must increase the share of electricity produced from renewable sources to at least 40 percent by 2030, the new expectations only retain the clause: "increases the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources."
Compared to 2022, the goal to develop the capacity to use oil shale gas, biomass, and waste, along with other renewable energy solutions for electricity production, has been removed. Instead, a new requirement has been added to develop demand-side management solutions and capabilities.
Another new specific goal is that Eesti Energia, as the owner of Narva Soojusvõrk, must ensure an affordable final price of heating for consumers connected to that network.
The previous update to the owner's expectations for Eesti Energia was made in August 2022, when Keit-Pentus Rosimannus was serving as minister.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Helen Wright