Eesti Energia says the decision will not negatively impact progress over time.

The second tier Tallinn Administrative Court put in place the injunction, to run to July 12.

Eesti Energia declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, and spokesperson Mattias Kaiv said: "We will first present our arguments regarding preliminary legal protection to the court."

According to the court order, both Enefit Power and the Environmental Board (Keskonnaamet) can contest the preliminary injunction, by July 9.

Kaiv added that the ongoing legal dispute with am environmental organization does not affect the ultimate construction or cost of the plant at Auvere.

"The plant is scheduled to be completed and begin production by the end of this year. As of today, the plant's cost is €368 million," he added.

A previous court case halted construction for four months, after the Supreme Court upheld an appeal by the NGO Loodusvõlu and revoked Enefit Power's building permit regardint the facility.

Outgoing Enefit Power CEO Andres Vainola said that this cost Enefit Power €20 million.

In May this year, the Environmental Board issued a temporary comprehensive permit for the shale oil plant under construction by Eesti Energia, allowing the plant to operate until early 2035.

On June 25, 2024, Fridays for Future Estonia (officially known as NGO Loodusvõlu) and activist Elo-Lee Maran filed a lawsuit to annul the comprehensive permit for the Auvere oil plant, citing the need to protect the rights of children and young people, and to prevent 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions per year.

Two days later the Tallinn Administrative Court partly granted the request for preliminary legal protection, suspending the validity of the comprehensive permit until July 12, to allow the Environmental Board and Enefit Power to formulate their positions on the request, and to prevent irreversible consequences for the plaintiffs.

NGO Loodusvõlu states on its website that the legal dispute over the comprehensive permit is likely to be as lengthy and costly as the previous building permit case outlined above and which lasted three years. The suit is funded by public donations to NGO Loodusvõlu.

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