Draft law amending the Planning Act and other laws (accelerating the adoption of renewable energy) (541 SE) - second reading
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary sitting
Date: 2025-05-07 18:02
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 62
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 9m
AI Summaries: 62/62 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The presentation and discussion topic was the second reading of bill 541 — the Act amending the Planning Act and other laws (accelerating the adoption of renewable energy). The main objective of the bill is to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, and to achieve this, various legal acts have been amended and supplemented: the Electricity Market Act (terms for granting subsidies, regulations concerning federal and local levels), the Environmental Charges Act (wind turbine charges and impact planning), and the Planning Act (simplifying the procedure for local detailed plans, ensuring the effectiveness of environmental impact assessments in plans). In addition, changes relating to the impacts of wind turbines and other renewable energy objects, extending deadlines for commencing production, and transitional regulations were of central importance. The thorough discussion and opinions of participants from the first reading have been consolidated for collaboration: the ministry and the commission have presented and considered various amendment proposals, and stakeholder groups and various market participants have been involved.
The paragraph emphasizes that the framework is created for the future undersupply of wind energy and requires amendments to the Electricity Market Act and other legal acts, but simultaneously it is important to ensure involvement and transparency for market participants and to coordinate all changes at both the state and local government levels. The second part of the discussion focused on the role of local governments and involvement mechanisms, the timelines for planning procedures, and the transitional provisions for entry into force, with coordination and public display, and the opportunity to submit opinions playing an important role. Overall, the discussion reflects an effort to find a balance between accelerating the development of renewable energy and, at the same time, assessing the interests of consumers and local communities.
Decisions Made 3
Propose including the draft on the plenary agenda on May 7, 2025, or today.
Propose to interrupt the bill's second reading and set the deadline for submitting amendments to five working days.
The deadline for submitting amendments is set for May 14th at 5:15 PM.
Most Active Speaker
Jaak Aab — a member of the economic affairs committee; the most active speaker at this session.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
For the third item on the agenda, Bill 541 (accelerating the deployment of renewable energy) will have its second reading, and it will be presented by Jaak Aabi, a member of the Economic Committee.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab said that the draft brings significant substantive changes to the Electricity Market Act and environmental charges, adds clarifications to the Planning Act and creates a framework for the next wind energy tender, including a production start deadline of up to 18 months, and the commission decided to suspend the second reading and give a five-working-day deadline for submitting amendment proposals, so that market participants can be heard before continuing.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, thanks for the clear and thorough presentation and poses a few questions to Rain Epler.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler criticizes the Climate Ministry's initiatives, which are sloppy and rushed and full of major flaws, and notes that the amendment proposal aims to rewrite the Electricity Market Act to a large extent, and asks whether Jaak, the former head of the Economic Committee, let such a serious flaw slip through lightly.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab acknowledged that in Estonia electricity consumption is 8 TWh, but only 5.6 TWh has been produced and brought to market, which is why there is a need for serious and urgent amendments to the electricity market legislation and for proposals.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Jaanus Karilaidi onto the stage.
Jaanus Karilaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
From the perspective of local self-government, the bill addresses whether public consultation will be shortened, how the notice period and its duration will change, and whether the municipal council will still have a veto right over what happens on its territory.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab noted that although changes at the ministry could cause the stage of adopting the special plan to disappear or even the entire special plan to be lost, the plan must still definitely include a strategic environmental impact assessment, and in planning developments the decision-making authority remains with local governments, with opportunities for involvement and public hearings.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, invited Evelin Poolametsa to perform.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The draft bill changes the procedure for local government’s special planning, and it asks whether significant changes should follow with this amendment also in other laws, for example in the Constitution, considering that Section 154 of the Constitution stipulates the decision‑making authority of local governments.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Urmas Reinsalu to speak.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu asks why the joint proposal of the Ministry of Climate and OÜ Utilitas Windi arose, asks for clarification whether it was sent in a joint or in separate letters, and who supported each — whether the ministry or the company — and which came first, the egg or the chicken, and how it reached the committee's table.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab said that for all draft bills, interest groups and market participants may submit proposals, and these have been collected during the process for both the Ministry and the Economic Committee, as well as assessments made in response to hastily submitted amendment proposals, and the table shows whether the Climate Ministry has taken them into account or not.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Let's take turns speaking; it's Jaak Aabi's turn right now, next up are Urmas Reinsalu and Rene Kokk, please state your question.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, asks to invite Rene Kokk to speak.
AI Summary
Rene Kokk asked Jaak how competent the Ministry of Climate is in the energy sector and whether it can contribute appropriately to the discussion, referring to the doubts that have arisen due to the draft's lengthy processing and the ministry's late discoveries and changes that were made.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab explained that the initial draft did not include amendments to the Electricity Market Act, and the Ministry of Climate proposed to accelerate the development of energy production capacities, but these amendments should take place in accordance with the approved energy sector development plan, and although the environmental impacts have been analyzed, they have not yet reached the committee or the Riigikogu, and some changes have been made to the content of the initial development plan.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi invited Andres Metsoja to speak.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Andres Metsoja asks whether, in the case of removing the plan approval phase, the plan may be published without coordination, and who would ultimately be responsible.
AI Summary
According to the law, certain changes have been made, but coordination and approval remain in force; there is no need to make a separate decision on adoption; all actions, including public displays, are carried out before enactment and objections can be submitted.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Urmas Reinsalu to speak.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu asks why and on whose initiative the principle of energy neutrality was dropped from this package of amendment proposals, and requests clarification on how the joint proposals of OÜ Utilitas Windi and the Ministry of Climate came about, whether they were submitted in parallel, and whether a consensus on their content was reached in the committee, and what their contents are.
AI Summary
The briefing emphasizes that the Economic Committee has asked market participants for their views, and the Ministry of Climate has taken these proposals into account and has proposed to the committee that they be considered, and these did not come only from Utilitas Wind, but also from their umbrella organizations.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi invited Rain Epler to perform.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler asks Jaak whether party affiliation could in any way influence the formation of the ministry's and one company's joint proposals.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab emphasizes that in matters relating to the Ministry of Energy one must not single out a single developer, because dozens of developers have submitted proposals in the same direction, and the ministry and the commission have reviewed and supported them.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi asked Mario Kadastik to take the floor.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
They explained that although market participants may submit proposals and recommendations, the amendment proposal is always made by the lead ministry or commission (often the Ministry of Climate), not by the market participant themselves.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked and announced that there were no more questions, and asked Rain Epler to pose a question to the chair.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler said that he had a completely procedural control question, and today he is trying out how it goes, because earlier in the debate Kristo Enn Vaga also got a similar question.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi said that amendments may be submitted only by the committee and by members of the Riigikogu, and that, in the interest of transparency, it must be shown who supplied the original material (the ministry or some specific company), so that it is clear who one is dealing with.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets claims that Draft Bill 541 speeds up the deployment of renewable energy in the name of ideology and puts rural areas at risk, because local opinions are not sufficiently consulted and participation may be deemed formal; a 30-day silence is considered consent; the construction of wind farms and solar panels harms people’s living environment and property values and does not bring significant benefits to consumers.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks for three more minutes.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets criticizes that the infrasonic problem, bird migration, and the values of the surrounding area's nature protection are not discussed, and that in the fast tempo of planning, quality and thoroughness fall to the background, pointing to the pauses in wind-energy development in Germany and Sweden, and states that the draft does not rely on the wishes of the Estonian people but on the interests of officials, the EU's green policy, and big businessmen, calling for a vote to interrupt the second reading and stressing that Estonia must not be turned into a colony of electricity production.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanked you, invited Urmas Reinsalu to speak, and asked for extra time — eight minutes.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu accused the government of a lack of transparency regarding Utilitas Wind's and the Ministry of Climate's joint proposals, noting that information reaches the parliamentary benches only as working documents and that no one knows the final document, and he criticized the chaos in the energy economy, the rise in electricity prices, new taxation, and the abandonment of energy neutrality, which burdens consumers and demonstrates the government's lack of forecasting capabilities.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, answered briefly and affirmatively: "Yes."
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu claims that although a decrease in electricity prices was promised and a long plan was created, the spring shock has shown that offshore wind farm auctions and other promises have been postponed, and decisions have been made only during frequent meetings, as many as 18 times a month.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
They don't remember it quite accurately.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu criticized the indecisiveness prevailing in energy policy and the influence of business interests, calling for scrapping the current draft, ending subsidies and the 2030 target of 100 percent renewable energy, and trusting the market and communities, because the long-term vision is lacking and it creates uncertainty and price changes.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi said that the steering committee recommends pausing the bill's second reading without a vote in accordance with the Riigikogu's Rules of Procedure and Working Order Act; the decision has essentially been made, and the pause will take place after reviewing the proposed amendments, and Rain Epler has a paper with keywords.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler noted that the coalition does not intend to stop the development of renewable energy, but the rushed changes to the Electricity Market Act must be halted and the substantial amendments thoroughly reviewed, in order to direct attention to dispatchable capacities (in the near term to oil shale, in the future to nuclear), and he criticized the leadership and spending of the Ministry of Climate.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
In the speech, great gratitude is expressed, and Jaak Aab is invited to speak.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab emphasizes that changes to the law will make low-bid procurements more flexible and technology-neutral, which will bring cheaper electricity and accelerate production, and developers want to move forward quickly and offer consumers cheaper electricity.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He thanks the audience and invites Mario Kadastik.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
In summary, Kadastik asserts that the draft bill reduces bureaucracy and speeds up procedures more broadly, not only with respect to wind farms, and emphasizes that the electricity market is regulated and that the profitability of investments does not depend solely on market prices, therefore in the future an investment instrument could replace subsidies.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks Marek Reinaasi to come over.
Marek Reinaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
As the chairman of the Economic Committee, Marek Reinaas stressed that the main aim of the draft is to lower electricity prices, and in the light of the criticism of the procedure, time should be allowed for the proposals to be thoroughly considered, and with improvements to make the auctions cheaper and more functional for consumers.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi asked whether the rebuttal speech had been submitted as a speech presented on behalf of the faction, and invited to speak on behalf of the Isamaa faction.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu stated that the suspension of the offshore wind farm occurred due to developers' pressure, and the state tried to reshape the conditions, while electricity prices are rising due to taxes and excises, and there are actually alternatives to the free market.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Thank you. The floor is given to Aleksandr Chaplogin, and a reply speech will follow.
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
They claim that the bill is bad because it assumes a complete transition to renewable energy by 2030, increases consumers' costs due to green-energy subsidies, is unstable without a sufficient backup generator, and does not explain the cost of investments, thereby placing the country's electricity supply at the mercy of weather conditions.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
During the speech, thanks were given, and Marek Reinaas was asked to provide two minutes for a rebuttal.
Marek Reinaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He emphasizes that the math isn't bad and that the electricity price depends mainly on the market (the impact of VAT is limited), showing that in the short term the price could reach up to 4,000 euros per megawatt-hour, compared with about 42 euros, referring to the 2022 Isamaa government.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman gives Mario Kadastik the floor to deliver a reply.
Mario Kadastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Kadastik stressed that the Estonian electricity market is not a free market, but regulated: only regulated costs (operation and maintenance) can be reflected in the price; investment costs must not be there, which is why renewable energy offers are cheap and construction costs cannot be taken into account in the price.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chair thanks and presents to the chair of the meeting a procedural question, and turns to Rain Epler.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler tries to understand the procedural rules, noting Reinaas's counter-speech button and asking whether a person's support for the increase in excise duty and VAT is sufficient grounds for a counter-speech.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller announced that regarding the draft bill 541, 11 amendments proposed by the Economic Committee have been reviewed and will be fully taken into account; the second reading is suspended, the deadline for submitting amendments is May 14 at 17:15, and the third item on the agenda has been completed.