The Estonian government repealed an order which had allocated state-owned energy group Eesti Energia property to build a wind farm, deciding for the sake of clarity to put the Tootsi property up for public auction.

"While the state remains of the opinion that the disputed government decision was lawful, for the sake of faster clarity a public auction for the Tootsi property must be announced," said the Government Communication Office following Thursday's government meeting.

Preparations for the auction will be undertaken by the Ministry of the Environment in conjunction with the Land Board.

Minister of the Environment Marko Pomerants told ERR's radio news that the decision to put the property up for auction seems fair, as the mater can then move forward and no time has to be wasted on litigation. The minister did not yet know, however, how much time preparations for the auction would take.

The minister did not know in what format the auction would take place, noting only that it would be public.

The property in question is located in Pärnu County's Metsaküla village, Vända Municipality. It is 160 hectares in size and consists of 40 cadastral units, 38 of which are intended for the construction of wind turbines according to the detailed plan for the property.

According to the government coalition agreement, 49 percent of shares in Eesti Energia renewable energy subsidiary Enefit Taastuvenergia are to be listed on the stock exchange.

According to Pomerants, the government has not yet discussed the schedule for listing the shares and that the decision will depend upon how things go with the Tootsi property and who ultimately ends up owning the property.