In the request to initiate a national designated spatial plan filed with the ministry, the area where the plant is to be built must be indicated. Est-For has designated the Tartu region as such area, Margus Kohava, one of the people behind the project, told reporters on Wednesday.

The plant cannot be built far from Tartu as the option to build a railway link to the facility in the longer term must be ensured.

On Jan. 30, Est-For Invest submitted to the Ministry of Finance an application for initiating a national designated planning process concerning a potential location for the woodworking mill in the basin of the Emajõgi. According to current projections, the mill would enter into operation in 2022.

The government must reach a decision concerning the national designated spatial plan within 90 days.

"The coordination process is underway," Kohava said. The completion of the national designated spatial plan would be effectively tantamount to the issuance of a building permit, as following the conclusion of the planning process, interest groups will no longer be able to impact the process.

The process of drawing up a national designated spatial plan takes two and a half years. Kohava described this period of time as intimidatingly long, as the market situation could change significantly in that time.

The group of investors behind the project is set to make the investment decision in 2019. In the event of a positive investment decision, a strategic investor and foreign banks would also be brought it.