The main area of interest is the Toolse phosphorite deposit (also known as rock phosphate) in Lääne-Viru County.

Speaking to ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK), Michal said: "There are those places where we need to have public discussions about whether we, as a society, find this acceptable and what the societal benefits might be."

"But there's no point in having this debate ahead of 2026 because if Geological Survey scientists find that the reserve is insufficient or cannot be exploited with current technology, or without environmental damage, then we will draw a line under it and there will be nothing to do with those reserves anyway," he went on.

So far, representatives from the Estonian Geological Survey ( Eesti geoloogiateenistus), conducting the studies, have also attended public meetings related to phosphorite research.

The meetings have seen people express their dissatisfaction about not being able to meet with climate ministry officials, however.

Although Michal said he does not see a need for such meetings until the results of the studies are clear, he did meet with municipal leaders in Rakvere, Lääne-Viru County's largest town, this week.

Here, he was advised that Estonia should not rush into decisions on phosphorite.

Those he spoke to also urged deep mining over open-cast quarrying.

Einar Vallbaum, chairman of the Lääne-Viru County municipalities association (Lääne-Virumaa omavalitsuste liit) said: "We first need to research what can actually be done with this phosphorite. Maybe it's so poor that it's not worth mining."

"But if a value is found which might benefit the Estonian state, its people, and the region, then we should go ahead with it, just not via open cast mining."

"If we don't know how to do that now, then we need to learn how in five, 20, or even 50 years. But open quarries are definitely not an option – that's a flat out no from me," Vallbaum went on.

A plan is in place to bring 50 tons of phosphorite to the surface at the Aru-South research area by the end of summer. This will give a better understanding of the phosphorite's value.

Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a sedimentary rock whose mining mostly supplies the chemicals industry with phosphates used in agriculture, particularly as fertilizers.

The planned strip mining of phosphate in Estonia in the 1980s by the occupying Soviet regime was an early subject of protest in the dying years of the Soviet Union and the move towards independence.

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