BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Diverse fauna thrives in Green Tallinn

Despite its population of 400,000 Homo sapiens, Tallinn is very species-diverse, according to a paper by the Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development that surveys 30 years' worth of studies on the city's fauna.

The Paljassaare bird sanctuary on an isolated peninsula is perhaps the pride and joy, 81 species of protected birds represented. 

The paper is by the institute's project manager Meelis Uustal, who found among other things that there is no consistent monitoring.

"Certainly studies must be conducted as the data gained in the course of the studies help the city government and regional environmental authority make better decisions in planning and giving out permits," Uustal told ETV.

The data he gathered held surprises in store. Kadriorg Park has plentiful bat populations and Tallinn is home to a population of the natterjack toad, which is threatened by habitat loss across Europe.

"One of the most exciting areas studied is eastern Tallinn - Suur-Sõjamäe and Väo - which still looks like brownfield and vacant lots. Actually this signals that the area could be very species-rich," said Uustal.

Kristopher Rikken

Green-focused Europe to drive offshore wind growth on the Baltics

Almost 3,000 MW of offshore wind energy capacity were brought on stream in Europe, particularly in the North Sea, in the last decade, while the Baltic offshore wind power sites have just begun taking shape.

Baltic trio, Finland on their way to harnessing offshore winds

The potential of wind power along the coastal areas of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are similar to some of the sites in Germany and Denmark, but the resources have been untapped so far. The situation may change soon, as Estonian state-owned power company Eesti Energia has revealed plans to build its first offshore wind park in the Gulf of Riga with a potential capacity of 600 MW. The Gulf of Riga wind project would arise in stages, with the first 150 MW currently scheduled to be installed by 2015.

Another, 38-wind turbine park with combined capacity of 190 MW, is being planned by Neugrund on the Neugrund Reef off Estonia's northwestern coast. In addition, Tallinn-based Nelja Energia, or 4Energia, is working on the 700 MW Hiiumaa offshore wind park, which will comprise 200 wind turbines with a capacity of 3-5 MW each.

Estonians want to make 300 million people collect garbage

After his successful Let’s Do it campaign in Estonia, Rainer Nõlvak has come up with a plan to organize similar campaign globally for cleaning the world from more than 100 million tons of illegal garbage, writes Eesti Päevaleht daily.

Organizers of the campaign called Let’s Do it World 2012 estimate that in order to be successful, about 300 million people need to participate in it.

Our role is to inspire and bring people together, says Nõlvak modestly and adds that they proceed country by country.

In addition to Estonia, similar campaigns were held last year in Latvia (310,000 participants), Lithuania (270,000), Slovenia (270,000 people), Serbia (200,000), Romania (200,000), Portugal (100,000), India (50,000) and Ukraine (1,680).

The campaign website is www.letsdoitworld.org and it has a fan page in Facebook.
Organizers say they need 1.1 million euros to make it happen and are now looking for five international partners. The Estonian government has allocated a grant of 64,000 euros and other supporters are also Estonian Air, EMT and ministry of foreign affairs.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Stolen pollution quota were found on foreigners’ accounts in Estonia

Pollution quota units that were stolen from the pollution quota registries of other states were found on accounts in Estonia that do not belong to Estonian companies or private individuals, LETA/Äripäev.ee reports.

Estonian Environment Ministry climate and radiation department acting head Meelis Münt said that there are around a hundred accounts in the Estonian registry: around 50 accounts of large industrial companies and around 50 persons. The state account, where the state’s allowed pollution quota units are kept, is separate.

In January, the European Commission interfered in the quota business since around 2 million pollution quota units disappeared from Czech, Austrian and Greek registries after hacking. A part of the missing units mysteriously ended up on accounts in the Estonian registry.

Currently Estonia is compiling a report on the security of our registry; once that is approved, the sales-purchase trade of the units, that the Commission suspended, can be re-launched again.

Münt said that the reasons for what happened are still being investigated. “A part of the illegally transferred units are in the Estonian registry, on accounts that do not belong to Estonian corporate or private individuals. Further activities will be decided upon by law enforcement organs of member states,” he said.

Juhan Tere

Commission urges Estonia to comply with EU legislation

The European Commission is taking Estonia to the European Court of Justice for its incomplete transposition of a law designed to prevent industrial pollution. On the recommendation of Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, the Commission is referring Estonia to the Court and sending Ireland a reasoned opinion. Estonia has two months to respond.

The infringements concern the EU Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), which aims to prevent and control industrial emissions to air, water, and soil.

Under European law, industrial and agricultural activities with a high pollution potential must be licensed. The Directive required Member States by 30 October 2007 to issue new permits or reconsider and – where necessary – update existing permits for all industrial installations that were in operation before 30 October 1999.

The Commission has had concerns about the transposition of the IPPC Directive in Estonia for several years, and a failure to amend domestic law is now leading to a Court appearance for Estonia.

EU criticizes Estonia’s quota business

Officials and politicians fighting against global warming criticise the business with warm air or AAU quota by new member states of the EU, saying that this increases greenhouse gas emissions in the world, LETA/Postimees writes.

European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard proposes that no new AAUs be distributed to states in the next period that starts in 2013.

“We are ready to give up AAUs on certain conditions i.e. via a negotiable compensation mechanism,” said Estonian environment ministry canceller Allan Gromov. “The European Commission has proposed options for this but it is too soon to talk about those.”

Estonian government discovered the AAU or warm air quota last year when it was desperately searching for sources of income for the state budget.

The Estonian government will sell this and next year a total of around 2.2 billion kroons worth of AAU. This money enables the government to declare that the state budget deficit continues to be one of the lowest in the EU. Also, schools that will be renovated with the funds from selling the quota have already been chosen. The economy ministry is preparing a contest for wind energy park developers and purchase of environment-friendly buses has been talked about.

Highway construction draws environmentalist attention

Environmentalists expressed concern over construction on the Tallinn-Tartu motorway because the new four-lane road would impinge internationally recognized conservation areas.

In the Puurmani region, the current project offers a choice between bad and worse -- cutting the Altnurga village in two and leveling a family home, or bulldozing through the Alam-Pedja nature conservation area's protected floodplains. Environmentalists consider the latter inconceivable, wrote Eesti Päevaleht.

"It would be unthinkable to build a motorway through a conservation area that includes the habitats of several bird species of European importance," said Helen Toom, the Environmental Board's Jõgeva-Tartu district conservation planning expert.

In addition to the floodplains, the road construction would have implications for endangered species like the corn crake and great snipe.

Pärnu to host European Ecotourism cconference

The first European ecotourism conference, EuroEco 2010, will be held in Pärnu from September 26 to 30.

This year’s conference, under the headline “Balancing Sustainability and Profitability,” will bring together 200 experts and green tourism enthusiasts from 27 countries in Europe and elsewhere.

Communications Director of the International Ecoturism Society Ayako Ezaki expressed hope that the conference will inaugurate a tradition of annual gatherings of experts, business leaders and stakeholders to encourage dialogue about the current state of ecotourism, its development and future challenges.

The recreational program for the delegates will include various eco-tours, such as sea-kayaking on the Bay of Pärnu, a wilderness trip to Soomaa National Park and bird watching on the Baltic shores.

BiotaP opens a lab for environment monitoring in Tallinn

A portfolio enterprise of Estonia's Development Fund, BiotaP opened in Tallinn an experimental lab for metagenomic analysis, which in Europe is an unique research center of environment monitoring; Estonia's Development Fund states. The development of the lab is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

The metagenomical analyses educed by BiotaP OÜ permit to make quick and simple evaluation of the 'health' of and the change in the environment. The basis of the analysis is the multiplicity of micro organisms and multidtude of the micro-biomic species in the soil, informs LETA.

A Member of BiotaP OÜ board, Sirli Sipp Kull said, that the work will be done with new type of DNA seqvenator, which is first such in North and East Europe and purveyed by Roche branch office in Lithuania.

"The equipment makes it easy and handy to determine for instance whole genome of one bacteria in just on day, making the modern molecular biology into 'everyone's science'," Sipp Kulli explained.

Ansip does not support Eesti Energia’s wind park in Gulf of Riga

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip stated on Thursday that he was rather certain that Eesti Energia would not get the Government’s approval to establish nearly 300 wind energy generators in the vicinity of the islands of Kihnu and Ruhnu in the Gulf of Riga, writes LETA/EPL Online.

“I certainly do not consider it reasonable to reserve 100 square kilometres of our waters to a private enterprise,” asserted Ansip at the Government press conference. “Companies should not be granted special rights in the State waters simply upon a request like that,” he added.

The Prime Minister explained that one of the issues concern the volume of the territory and another matter is whether it would be right to reserve the sea areas for an enterprise in the context of the position that Estonia would not require quite as many wind generators as are planned. “I presume that there would not be any agreements to this application from the Government next week,” he stated.

Ansip noted that the planned capacities of all designed wind parks that are in development would far exceed the needs of Estonia. “It seems that the subsidies level has been set too high; investors are exceedingly interested in wind parks while residents are not so much interested in them,” said the Prime Minster.

Estonian Government approves the sale of AAUs to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

At its session today the Government of the Republic approved the sale of Estonia’s unused emission rights or Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Under a Green Investment Scheme (GIS), the proceeds totaling 30 mil EUR will be invested into energy efficiency improvement of apartment houses.

According to energy audits and studies up to 50% of energy consumed in old apartment buildings in Estonia could be saved with thermal insulation, replacement of windows, reconstruction of heating systems, complex renovation and other means. Thus the potential for energy saving and thus CO2 reduction is immense. The GIS measure will enable to cover up to 35% of the cost of renovation depending on the amount of energy savings achieved. The application round for housing associations will be opened already this month by the Credit and Export Guarantee Fund, KredEx.

With the entry into force of this transaction Estonia has sold AAUs under GIS of the value over 100 million Euros. The earlier transactions have been concluded with Austria, Spain and Japanese bank SMBC.

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Valitsuse kommunikatsioonibüroo briifinguruum
http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/  
press@riik.ee

Vaisala contributes to rescuing the Baltic Sea by delivering a hydrological forecasting system

The Baltic Sea Action Group works to bring together all parties of society to rescue the vulnerable marine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Vaisala has joined the effort and will deliver a hydrological forecasting system for the Pärnu River basin in Estonia.

The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (EMHI) and the Tallinn Technical University (TTU).
When completed, the data provided by the system will be used for monitoring water levels and quality in the Pärnu River. The Pärnu River drains into one of the large bays of the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Riga. Therefore, the water quality of the river directly influences the Baltic Sea water quality, which in turn emphasizes the importance of monitoring the river water.

"The new system is especially beneficial in terms of providing us with more specific information on the water level and flow in the Pärnu River. Real-time hydrological forecasting helps us predict possible flooding situations and generally makes us better equipped to manage the whole water system in Estonia," says Juta Kuik, head of EMHI's hydrological department.

"The Pärnu River is also a very popular tourist and recreation area, and these activities benefit from timely water level forecasts as well. We already have plans to extend the system to other areas," explains Kuik.

Innovative ideas for how to produce wind energy in the future in Estonia

Two months before this year’s Global Wind Day, the Estonian Wind Power Association announced an imaginative contest with the aim of generating innovative ideas on what a wind turbine might look like in the future.

On the 15 June, when the energy from wind was celebrated all over the world, the winners of the contest were announced and an exhibition showing many great ideas for the future opened.

The idea behind the contest was to bring attention to the fact that wind energy is not only about green energy, which indeed is an important factor, but it also produces long-awaited growth in the energy industry sector and creates new jobs.

This improves the economy, which has been weakened in most places in the world. Martin Kruus, the CEO of Estonian Wind Power Association said at the Global Wind Day event that we should not talk only about wind turbines and where they should be installed but also about the opportunity for a small country like Estonia to become recognised as a major player in the wind energy industry.

“The aim of the Future Wind Turbine contest was to motivate people to brainstorm about wind energy in the future,” explained Kruus. “Our companies have already been active in this field – proven by the latest news about the Estonian Wind Energy Cluster receiving co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund which will enable wind energy related organisations to cooperate more actively.”

Eesti Energia to build 60 million euro wind farm in Estonia

Eesti Energia AS will build a wind farm in northeastern Estonia for about 60 million euros as the largest Baltic utility seeks to diversify power sources.

The Tallinn, Estonia-based company will sign the construction contract for the wind farm near Narva, with annual output of about 90 gigawatt-hours, with Germany’s Enercon GmbH “over the summer,” it said in a regulatory statement. The farm will double electricity generated from wind by Eesti Energia.

The company also plans to sign a construction contract this autumn for a wind farm on the Pakri peninsula in Paldiski, north-western Estonia, and is considering another wind farm in the Auvere area in Vaivara municipality, near Narva. Eesti Energia is also studying options for offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Riga, it added.>

Toomas Hõbemägi

WinWinD delivers three wind turbines to Estonia

WinWinD will deliver three wind turbines to Aulepa Wind Park for the Estonian energy company Eesti Energia by the summer of 2011.

The wind park will gain 9 MW of new capacity and its annual energy production will grow by 23 GWh, WinWinD says.

The construction work of the second stage of the wind park will begin this month and a year later the three wind turbines will be erected and will be ready to generate electricity. The additional WWD-3 turbines will be of the same type of 3 MW WinWinD turbines, running in the Aulepa Wind Park today.

Opened in summer 2009, Aulepa Wind Park has 13 wind turbines with the total capacity of 39 MW. After the completion of the second stage the wind farm will have total capacity of 48 MW and the annual energy production will be raised up to 123 GWh.

Estonia to give up use of oil shale in energy production

Wind power is one of the alternatives to the polluting energy source.

Estonia’s greenhouse gas emissions have been halved since 1990, which surpasses by many times the goals set in the international Convention on Climate Change.
 
 But this is not enough. Estonia’s period of transition agreed with the European Union with regard to the Narva power plants comes to an end in 2016.
 
 By then the production units dating back to the Soviet era will have been partly modernised and partly replaced with new equipment. The Narva power plants utilise oil shale, which is a fossil fuel, to produce electricity for the use of Estonia, the Baltic States, and the Nordic Countries.
 
 “This EUR 100 million investment is one of the largest in recent years. It enables the significant reduction of the environmental impact of the old units while the present electricity production capacity is ensured in the future as well”, says Tõnu Aas, CEO of the Narva Power Plants.
 
 Inside the power plant, the difference between the old and the new parts could not be any clearer.
 
 The old section is dust grey. The new annex glimmers in silvery tones. In the old half all the texts are in Russian. In the new section the manufacturer’s name is printed in English: Foster Wheeler.

RMK to open a nature centre at Viimsi

On 28 May, RMK will be opening a nature centre at Viimsi where the principal focus of the study programmes will be on providing information about nature in the suburbs. The nature centre will organise horizon expanding study expeditions for both nursery schools and schools, and for everyone interested.

This is the first nature centre in the vicinity of Tallinn, housed in the renovated former forest district building at Rohuneeme tee 29. RMK’s Viimsi Nature Centre will be open from 10.00 – 18.00 daily during the summer season.

Along the recreation area’s study trails located in the vicinity of Tallinn, the Viimsi Nature Centre will be offering free-of-charge nature education programmes for nursery schools and general education schools, and fee based study programmes for anyone requesting them. The main trails used for study programmes are the Tädu nature study trail in Viimsi and the Harku forest nature trail.

In addition to various educational programmes, visitors to the nature centre will be able to obtain information material and information on opportunities for forest recreation, examine the collection of materials at the nature centre, view films on nature and play games on the subject. Also, Jüri Pere’s photography exhibition, “The Beauty of Details, the Joy of True Things”, will be on display.

Estonia to plant 10 million trees

More than ten million trees are to be planted in Estonia this spring, providing a boost to the country's forestry industry.

According to the Baltic Course, 6,500 hectares of land are to be renewed by the Estonian State Forest Management Centre (SFMC).

Trees planted on 4,500 of them, while a further 1,500 will be set aside for the sowing of new seeds.

Some 500 hectares will be prepared for natural renewal.

In future years, the SFMC intends to increase tree planting by a third, with the order for new tree plants reaching 14.5 a year by 2012-15.

This year, it hopes to have 5.8 million fir trees planted by the end of May, along with 3.6 million pines and 670,000 birches.

Last month, it was reported that forestry was acting as a major driver of Estonia's economic recovery.

Statistics Estonia announced that the country's industrial production was up five per cent in February compared to the same month last year.

WinWinD’s delivery of a 24 megawatt wind farm to Estonia has been confirmed

WinWinD delivers a 24 megawatt wind power plant to Aseri, Estonia. The confirmed delivery contract was signed last Friday between Aseriaru Tuulepark AS and WinWinD.

Nelja Energia OÜ, who is WinWinD’s client also in the Viru-Nigula and Vanakula Wind Parks, will act as a partner in the wind energy project.

Aseri is located in Eastern Estonia, about 130 km east from Tallinn. The wind farm will consist of 8 pieces of 3 MW wind turbines, which will be delivered during this year. The wind farm is expected to start producing electricity in the beginning of 2011.

WinWinD is the leading 3 megawatt wind turbine supplier in the Estonian market. After the de-livery of the Aseri Wind Park, the company will have delivered a total of 108 MW to Estonian clients, possessing more than 70% of the total wind energy market share.

Nelja Energia OÜ, who is the biggest wind energy developer in Estonia and now also WinWinD’s biggest customer, currently runs nine wind farms in Estonia with a total capacity of 106,4 MW. They have bought 19 wind turbines with a total capacity of 57 MW from WinWinD.

www.winwind.fi

Companies lose millions because of volcanic ash

The ash clouds that are covering most of Europe are causing billions of kroons for airlines and world trade. An even worse news is that the volcano remains active and is spewing new ash into the air, which is likely to create further problems for airlines. Ilona Eskelinen, head of public relations for Estonian Air, was unable to say how much the airline has lost already.

She added that the airline was calculating the losses at present. "It is  a unique situation," she said.

Eskelinen added that insurance companies have not yet started to compensate Estonian Air for its losses.

According to BBC, airlines are collectively losing about 2.3 billion kroons a day, to say nothing of the problems caused to passengers who are stranded in airports and companies whose business depends on air transport.

One of the companies that depends on air transport is Elcoteq. According to Jan Kotka, CEO of Elcoteq Tallinn, the plant has supplies until Tuesday. "After that we can manufacture sub-assemblies. We are shipping finished products to Finland by trucks," explained Kotka.