VKG opens €75 million oil shale mine in Estonia

Estonian industrial group Viru Keemia Grupp has opened its new €75 million Uus-Kiviõli oil shale mine, securing a new raw-material base for its shale oil production.VKG expects the mine to provide oil shale for approximately 30 years. The company began planning the project more than two decades ago before reaching the construction and commissioning stage.Uus-Kiviõli will replace VKG’s existing Ojamaa mine, which is expected to close at the end of 2027. Around 530 employees from Ojamaa are expected to transfer to the new operation.The project includes a six-kilometre conveyor connecting the new mine with existing infrastructure and onward transport to VKG’s processing facilities.The investment gives VKG a long-term domestic feedstock base at a time when Estonia’s oil shale industry faces tightening European climate and environmental policy. The company argues that continuing market demand for shale oil supports the investment despite the regulatory pressure.