The first reading of the draft resolution (569 OE) of the Riigikogu, "Proposal to the Government of the Republic to temporarily suspend the processing of all planning procedures related to wind farms, with a deferral until the establishment of an up-to-date methodology for infrasound measurements and the setting of limit values for sound pressure levels."
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 5th session, plenary session
Date: 2025-04-09 20:49
Total Speeches: 56
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 10m
AI Summaries: 56/56 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The fifth agenda item concerned the Riigikogu draft resolution submitted by the Conservative People's Party of Estonia, proposing to temporarily suspend the processing of all planning procedures related to wind farms until an updated methodology for infrasound measurements and the establishment of permissible sound pressure levels are in place. The purpose of the representative discussion was to highlight the need to regulate the infrasound and low-frequency noise generated by modern large-scale enterprises, and to ensure a national measurement and assessment framework capable of adequately evaluating plans and their impact on health. The representative board and Evelin Poolametsa's representation emphasized that current norms and methodologies do not reflect the current power and size of wind turbines and that there is a lack of a unified, science-based national framework.
During the debate, international and local examples of complaints were raised, demonstrating the need to update measurement capabilities, create an independent guideline for assessors, and improve practices concerning long-range and cumulative effects. Ultimately, the voting results led to the rejection of the draft: the majority of the Riigikogu composition decided not to adopt the draft, systematically marking “no” and demonstrating tension between government positions and the opposition as a whole.
Decisions Made 1
The Riigikogu decision: the final vote and adoption of bill 569 has been decided to be rejected; the voting results were: 11 in favor, 3 against, no abstentions. Bill 569 has therefore been rejected.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Evelin Poolamets (pid a1RqRq2rgr4), a member of the EKRE faction, who played a central role in the main presentation and numerous questions. She represented a right-wing perspective and the faction's positions, and engaged in the substantive discussion and revision of the bill, raising critical questions about the shortcomings of national measurement and assessment frameworks.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi introduced the draft bill submitted by the EKRE faction, which seeks to temporarily suspend the processing of all wind-farm planning until the updated infrasonic measurement methodology and the establishment of limit values for sound pressure levels are enacted, and he noted that in order for this draft bill to be adopted the Riigikogu would need a majority of votes, and Evelin Poolametsa was asked to present it.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets called for halting the planning of all wind farms until infrasound and low-frequency noise limit standards are established, the national measurement methodology is updated, and an independent assessment guideline is in place, as well as the capacity to reliably measure sound and assess its impacts, because the current system cannot protect residents' health or account for cumulative effects.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks the presenter and invites Martin Helme to ask questions.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that there are no adequate standards for measuring the impact of low-frequency noise, and although officials say that the standards exist, this should nevertheless be investigated and the state should be on the side of the citizens, but a question arises: to whom should one turn if wind turbines continue to be built?
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The main point of the speech is that the current planning and regulatory framework places responsibility for planning wind farms on local governments, but residents' concerns are often ignored, and the only reasonable solution seems to be participating in local elections – if the council does not approve the plans, the wind farms will not come, and even where they have already been built, doctors sometimes recommend moving.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman thanks and asks Anti Poolametsa to take the floor.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets notes that Estonia is gripped by a tech craze, and ideas about hydrogen and, in particular, wind turbines have suddenly emerged, changing the landscape, and Chinese technology has rapidly penetrated Estonia's heritage landscape into nearly every forest patch, although Danish wind turbines are not that tall.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets emphasizes that, although in the context of the green transition wind energy is considered very green, it is extremely resource-intensive and, in a sense, inefficient, and wind farms should be built where electricity is consumed, not in the middle of the landscape, because wind power declines with every kilometer away from the coast, and the harmful impact has been overlooked, and with regard to infrasound, the same precautions should be applied as for radioactivity or carbon monoxide.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar invites Rene Kokk onto the stage.
AI Summary
Rene Kokk criticized the arrogance of coalition MPs during the discussion of the bill and lamented Estonia's lack of capacity to adequately assess their impacts, noting that the investigation relies mainly on internet data and there is no data on larger wind turbines.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets notes that although technology is progressing, we lack the ability to accurately measure and model the impact of noise, and decisions are made based on expert opinion, which takes us back to the Middle Ages and resembles the judgments of clairvoyants about noise risks.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Hussar asks Lauri Laats to come onto the stage.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats believes that energy security has deteriorated and that the government has focused on wind turbines, solar energy and the subsidizing of offshore wind farms, while emphasizing the need to invest more in the production and use of oil shale and asking whether this is the right path.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets emphasizes that Estonia should invest in dispatchable energy production methods, because wind energy is unreliable and expensive and requires two systems, while oil shale energy is the engine of the economy, and she does not see logical arguments for investing in wind energy.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar asks Kalle Grünthal to come onto the stage.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Grünthal raised the concern that in the proceedings under the Public Health Act noises are treated as noises from boiler houses, disco halls, and ventilation equipment, but Estonia lacks knowledge and the capacity to measure infrasonics, and he asked how experts can issue an opinion on infrasonic safety when there is no exposure to wind turbine noise.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
A government-commissioned guideline shows that Estonia lacks guidelines, measuring instruments, and standards for measuring infrasound and for assessing the impact of wind turbines, therefore the impact is assessed mainly on the basis of expert opinions, and scientific and measurement activities are not clearly involved, which may hinder the development of wind energy.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar asks Mart Helmel to take the floor.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helme claims that research into infrasonics has been conducted internationally and cites the Cuban precedent, in which American embassy staff were subjected to infrasound, driven mad, and forced to be recalled for health reasons, and asks how it is possible in Estonia to trust so-called scientists like Lavrentyev, since he has previously spoken of a great danger and later, due to a political directive, said that there is no danger.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets claims that studies funded by developers are biased and their results cannot be trusted, and therefore the state should deal with people's health issues responsibly and ensure the conduct of independent and publicly accessible studies.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman invited Peeter Ernits to speak.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits asks for the exact content of Zhang, Chen, and Xie's study on the effect on the rat hippocampus, whether this means a loss of spatial orientation and a decline in inhibitory control and short-term memory, and what this could mean for people, especially those living near wind turbines.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets claims that the infrasound from wind turbines actually affects people's vestibular system, causing dizziness, balance disorders, difficulties with concentration and sleep disturbances, and animals also react to it with discomfort, so this is not merely a nocebo effect, but a real physical impact.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, informed that during this procedure each member of the Estonian Parliament may ask one oral question to either of the two presenters, but that opportunity is not given to Martin Helme and is given to Varro Vooglaiule, who sits next to him.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid said that before approving large infrastructure projects, such as wind farms, one must ensure there are no health risks, and he proposed a mechanism according to which the project operator should undertake to buy the real estate of people within the project's sphere of influence at its pre-project value.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
If disturbances caused to people were fairly compensated, the development of wind farms would probably proceed more quickly, but people are being taken advantage of and their concerns are being devalued; property values near turbines decline, evidence is often difficult to present, and alongside the cell tower the impact is compared to the proportions of a 300-meter turbine, because the developer has not started buying dwellings and the turbine causes flutter and vibration.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar makes a plea: "Hanah Lahe, please!"
Hanah Lahe
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Hanah Lahe emphasizes that every energy sector has an impact on the environment and people's health, and asks why the focus is specifically on wind turbines and the health effects of infrasound, when in Ida-Viru County the oil shale industry is associated with shorter life expectancy and lower birth weight, and why the health effects of oil shale mining are not being addressed.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets claims that the air in Ida-Virumaa is not significantly different, and although oil shale energy provides electricity at about 14% cheaper, in her view wind energy is several times more harmful to the environment and less efficient, because a wind turbine requires a large area of land, creates noise and shading, and plans to build them near nature reserves spoil the quiet and private life of rural areas.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar invited Mihkel Leesi to perform.
Mihkel Lees
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Mihkel Lees emphasized the importance of maintaining health, pointed out that, based on the Health Board's website, there is no evidence regarding the long-term impact of wind farms, and finally asked whether EKRE's unfounded claims have made people anxious and caused insomnia.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets emphasizes that the health impact of new large wind turbines is uncertain, and it is necessary to have clear standards and measurements to bring the laws into line with the current situation and place health first, based on experts' opinions and the experiences of other countries.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman, Lauri Hussar, asks Mario Kadastikut.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Mario Kadastik discussed the infrasonic and sound pressure generated by wind turbines, noting that at a distance of 500 meters the sound level is 60–70 dB and that a health risk is considered to be 100–120 dB, and asked to illustrate how large a 30 dB difference is, both in terms of perceived sound and of danger.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets said that the results of the Saarde wind park are inadequate, because the measuring instruments are limited and can measure only a narrow range, and the impact of infrasound on health and its technical parameters must be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the draft bill.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker highlights a concern that the new-old government plans to log more forests and reduce protected areas, replacing them with decisions favorable to wind energy and to certain companies, and asks the audience whether they share this view.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart is invited onto the stage.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets criticizes the development of wind and offshore wind parks as serving politicians' private interests, points to the sphere of influence of green energy and textile processing, and emphasizes the need for forest over-harvesting and replacement forests in accordance with European Union directives, mentions a forthcoming law that could allow planting forests on less valuable farmland, and finally asks whether behind it there is greed, stupidity, private interests, or money laundering.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar offers a brief prayer: "Irja Lutsar, please!"
Irja Lutsar
Profiling Eesti 200 fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker, Irja Lutsar, said that wind turbines are nothing new in Estonia and that they are already in Western Europe, and she asked whether there are long-term studies on the health of people who have lived in wind-turbine areas, including psychological and psychosomatic health, and whether any of these studies could be cited here.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets recommends looking at vabadused.ee, where the impact of offshore wind farms on nature and people is described, and notes that the impact of the very powerful turbines planned in Estonia is greater, and the more powerful the technology, the greater its impact on the environment.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanks the presenter, states that the questions have ended, and asks Mario Kadastik, a member of the Economic Committee, to introduce the Economic Committee's debate.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The Economic Committee discussed the draft in two meetings (March 17 and 24), unanimously appointed the representative of the leading committee and discussed the height of wind turbines, compatibility of standards and modelling, compared the Netherlands and Sweden and stressed the need for energy production; a representative of the Ministry of Climate said that the effects of noise and infrasound can be modeled, a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs referred to scientific literature according to which causal relationships have not been conclusively found and further research is ongoing, based on the Saarde wind farm study no higher symptoms have been noted, the nocebo effect was also discussed, and the committee took consensus decisions and intended to bring the draft to final vote on 9 April.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar thanks the presenter and invites Hanah Lahet to ask questions.
Hanah Lahe
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He asked a question about noise and infrasonic levels and requested examples from other fields where the noise level and infrasonic level are the same or different, and to compare them with those of wind turbines.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He gives an example that in a car with the window down on a city street the infrasonic level is about 95 decibels, for wind turbines it is 60–70 decibels, which represents about 30 decibels, i.e., a thousandfold difference in sound intensity, and therefore the infrasonic level in a car with the window down is about 1000 times higher than at 500 meters from the turbine.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks the presenter, announces that the questions have been concluded and that the negotiations will be opened, and on behalf of the EKRE faction asks his colleague Martin Helme to speak from the Riigikogu's rostrum.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme expresses absolute contempt for those who claim science and for whom the Health Board confirms the safety of vaccines, and accuses politicians of corruption and of protecting the interests of businessmen, while at the same time rushing the construction of large wind turbine projects and ignoring people’s interests.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker thanks, and on behalf of the Reform Party faction, asks Mario Kadastik to address the Riigikogu from the rostrum.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Mario Kadastik emphasizes that the impact of infrasound on people is very small, most of the concerns stem from the design of older wind turbines and the higher noise levels of household appliances, and therefore the draft to halt these plans is unfounded and should be voted against.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
On behalf of the Centre Party faction, a request is made to grant the floor to colleague Lauri Laats at the Riigikogu podium.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats emphasizes that there is distrust of the government in society, and before advancing wind turbines and a comprehensive energy strategy, all circumstances must be thoroughly explained in order to make a firm decision and protect consumers' interests, because subsidies for green energy and the development of oil shale affect energy prices and Estonia's energy security.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, thanked and ended the negotiations, announced that the board's proposal is to carry out the final vote on Draft Bill 569, and began preparing it, and before the vote Kalle Grünthal raised his hand and asked a question about the procedure for conducting the meeting.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Kalle Grünthal asks why there are so few Reform Party and Estonia 200 coalition MPs in the chamber, and whether they have been informed that the sitting has ended for today.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, announced that the session is under way and that, for the decision to be adopted, a majority of the Riigikogu’s membership is required, and he referred to the draft Riigikogu decision 569 submitted by the EKRE faction, which aims to temporarily suspend the processing of all planning procedures related to wind farms and postpone this until the updated infrasonic measurement methodology and the establishment of the limit values for sound pressure levels are in place, asking members to take a stance and vote.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
In the Riigikogu, the draft bill 569 was voted on with 11 members in favour, 3 against, and there were no abstentions; the draft bill 569 was rejected.