Construction for the base infrastructure of the facility, near Tõstamaa, Pärnu County, is planned to start this year, with a current budget of €50 million.

The 100-hectare area is intended to accommodate at least five companies, three of which would be handling up to 50 tons of explosives.

However, members of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee have said a park built in one location, and above ground, is suitable under peacetime conditions.

Ukraine's experience shows that in the case of the outbreak of war, Estonia's defense industry would need to be moved underground in any case, committee members Leo Kunnas (Independent) and Meelis Kiili (Reform) said, adding construction should start with this in mind from the outset.

Kiili noted there are already existing underground infrastructures in Ida-Viru County, including the Ojamaa mine's production and service areas.

Kunnas said: "We don't have any large or wide areas, where we could disperse anything. This means we should place such businesses underground."

Mihhailo Samus, a Ukrainian and director of think tank New Geopolitics Research Network, told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "From the very first days, the very first hours, the evacuation of their factories began. These are generally located in underground facilities."

All three Baltic states could mitigate risks by duplicating defense industry facilities across countries, Samus added, saying: "For example, locate something in Estonia and something in Lithuania, in a way that allows for substitution. If Lithuania's production is endangered, it could be replaced by Estonia's."

The Ministry of Defense however has argued that underground construction is costlier and more time-consuming, adding there is interest in the defense park from around 20 companies.

Indrek Sirp, special advisor for defense industry development at the ministry, said: "We held an information day last week. More than 20 interested firms participated. We expect their initial proposals by mid-May, followed by detailed business plans by mid-June. Then we will evaluate, negotiate, and, by the end of August, the companies should be selected."

Earlier this month the government selected the site, four kilometers from the small town of Tõstamaa, and surrounded by the villages of Ermistu, Lõuka and Soomra, as the most suitable of five shortlisted options for the defense industry park, in terms of its size, minimal environmental impact, and distance from Estonia's eastern border with Russia.

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