Government to deliberate planning exception for pulp mill

The government is planning to take up the issue for a planning exception in its Thursday meeting concerning a large new pulp mill to be built in Tartu or Viljandi County by Est-For Invest, covering both the construction as well as the strategic assessment of its impact on the local environment.
Minister of Public Administration Mihhail Korb (Center) has submitted a bill to the effect, ERR’s radio news reported on Thursday.
The aim is to find the best location for the pulp mill either in Tartu County or Viljandi County somewhere along the River Emajõgi, and to come up with a detailed solution for the project to be compatible with the Building Act.
The procedure for a planning exception typically takes about two years, after which the government has to approve the measure.
The Ministry of Finance arranges all the procedures and actions needed in connection with the exception.
Est-For Invest plans to invest roughly a billion euros in a new wood processing plant with a raw material requirement of about three million cubic meters of timber a year. The plant’s output would be destined for Estonia’s export markets.
Editor: Dario Cavegn