Agenda Profile: Aleksei Jevgrafov

The political position is strongly opposed to the government’s energy strategy, emphasizing that the transition must occur without increasing electricity prices and while maintaining dispatchable capacity. The speaker vigorously advocates for the deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies in the oil shale sector to ensure energy security and employment. This stance is heavily policy- and results-based, focusing on essential technical requirements and social responsibility.

The speaker demonstrates profound expertise regarding energy and technical infrastructure needs, citing Elering’s dispatchable capacity requirement (approximately 1000 MW) and specific details concerning the production cost of oil shale electricity (30–40 euros/MWh). Concrete financial data is utilized concerning the scale of CCS investments (200–300 million euros), and reference is made to the viewpoints of Estonian scientists (Professor Alar Konist) and the head of Enefit Power (Lauri Karp). Emphasis is also placed on the knowledge base of domestic engineers and the existence of an invention, developed 20 years ago, for reducing CO2 emissions.

The rhetorical style is critical, insistent, and emphasizes responsibility, combining emotional concern (people's welfare, responsibility for the industry) with technical and economic arguments. The speaker uses rhetorical questions and presents a clear alternative (two options) to the government's policy, relying on facts and expert quotations. The tone is formal and direct, stressing that the government is not adequately considering reality.

The pattern of activity is limited to participation in a Riigikogu session or a debate concerning the minister's report on the implementation of the long-term development strategy "Estonia 2035." The speaker presents both questions and a longer, structured position, the completion of which he repeatedly insists upon.

The main opponent is the government and the Minister of Energy and Environment, who is criticized for the strategy's unrealistic nature, the jeopardizing of energy security, and the disregard for the employment situation in Ida-Virumaa. The criticism is policy- and procedure-based, emphasizing the government's inability to utilize existing CO2 capture technologies and domestic innovation. The opposition is intense, offering a direct alternative to the government's plan.

The style of collaboration is aimed at colleagues ("Dear colleagues") and the public, urging them to support an alternative, innovation-focused approach to strengthening the energy system. There is no mention of direct cooperation with the government or a willingness to compromise on the criticized policy; instead, the government is demanded to change its stance.

There is a very strong regional focus on Ida-Virumaa, emphasizing the negative impact that the closure of the oil shale sector has on employment and social stability. It is mentioned that the industrial sector provides nearly 20% of the county's employment, and the need to create new qualified jobs for engineers and technicians specifically in this region is emphasized.

Economic perspectives stress the need for affordable electricity prices to fall, not rise, alongside the preservation of the industrial sector to safeguard employment. They support major state investments in innovation (CCS) and the application of domestic expertise to achieve economic stability, contrasting this approach with the enormous sums being allocated to offshore wind farms. The focus is also placed on the impact of the CO2 quota price on the final consumer price.

The primary social issue is employment and social stability in Ida-Viru County, emphasizing the government's responsibility for the well-being of the region's inhabitants. Social questions are tightly linked to economic stability and the preservation of industry.

The legislative focus is shifting towards amending the implementation priorities of the long-term development strategy "Eesti 2035," calling for investments to be channeled into deploying carbon capture technologies at existing power plants. The speaker opposes the current strategic direction and champions an alternative investment policy that would create new skilled jobs.