Energetics
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 4th sitting, press briefing.
Date: 2024-11-20 15:05
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 10
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 10m
AI Summaries: 10/10 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
At a sitting of the Riigikogu, the sixth question of Member of the Riigikogu Aleksandr Tšaplõgin to Prime Minister Kristen Michal regarding the future of energy and Estonia's green action plan was discussed. The question was prompted by the intention of Donald Trump, who was elected President of the United States, to increase the production and use of fossil fuels. Tšaplõgin expressed concern about Estonia’s green action plan and competitiveness if Europe remains the only region abandoning fossil fuels.
Prime Minister Michal responded that the United States will remain a leader in science and innovation in the future, investing in new ways of energy production. He emphasized that the price of fossil energy, including shale, is too high to compete on the market and that modern industry and export markets require clean components. Michal explained that the government has launched the largest industrial growth plan in Estonian history, focusing on the defence industry, artificial intelligence, and smart metalworking, and that restrictions on the use of shale apply to energy, not its use in fine chemicals. Finally, Andres Metsoja posed a clarifying question regarding the suspension of new wind farm permit procedures and legal certainty. The Prime Minister defended this step as logical and well-considered action that avoids unwarranted expectations for entrepreneurs before the Climate-Resilient Economy Act is adopted, thereby ensuring legal certainty in the long term.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
A member of the Riigikogu, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin, asks Prime Minister Kristen Michal a question on energy.
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tšaplõgin asked what should be done with our green action plan in light of Trump's promises, taking into account that the USA intends to increase fossil fuel production and consumption and is the world's largest economy and Europe's main trading partner.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal claims that the United States will remain a world leader in science, innovation, and technology and will direct large investments into new industrial and energy frontiers, as a result of which the high price of fossil energy makes them unaffordable, and consumers and businesses want cheaper and cleaner energy for export, and modern industry and new technology are developing ever faster, and, as a conclusion, he echoes Defense Minister Reinsalu's words that reducing ammunition purchases is nonsense.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and asks that Aleksandr Tšaplõgin present a clarifying question.
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
They emphasize that fossil fuels themselves are not expensive, but taxes make them expensive, and they recall Estonia's plan to end the use of oil shale by 2040, and they ask how this will affect our competitiveness and industry, given that the European Union is the only region in the world that continues to abandon fossil fuels.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the future of Estonia's economy depends on expanding the use of oil shale in energy and, in the future, also in fine chemistry, on reducing emissions as a prerequisite, and on implementing the largest industrial growth plan together with accelerated planning, the simplification of environmental permits and regulations, and cooperation with companies and science, including the development of the defense industry and high technology, and although he is moderately optimistic, he believes that Estonia will get better.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar thanked and invited Andres Metsoja to present a supplementary question.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
According to Metsoja, there is a need to reduce bureaucracy and to use knowledge-based innovation solutions in the oil shale industry, but there is no comprehensive plan and uncertainty is created, for example new drilling-permit procedures are suspended, although the oil shale reserve is about 30 years and the CO2 emissions of oil shale are higher than those of peat.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that suspending the issuance of new licenses for a few years while the Climate-Resilient Economy Act is being processed is reasonable and ensures legal certainty for entrepreneurs, avoiding expectations regarding new mines that may be prohibited in the future.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Lauri Hussar thanks and announces that he will stop handling today's sixth question.