According to Deputy Municipal Mayor Erki Ruben, the municipal government received an application for the launch of the establishment of a methanol plant either in the town of Paldiski or in Lääne-Harju Municipality. When processing the application, it became apparent that in the case of this project, the detailed plan in force was not sufficient for the development thereof, as this was a building requiring a significant amount of space. The planning of such a building is to be conducted via a local government designated spatial plan.

"Negotiations have taken place with the interested party, Larkwater group, regarding the financing of the planning," Ruben said. "The financing agreement has been signed by the interested party. All funding of the financial aspect of the plan will be covered by the interested party. There will be no financial obligations on the municipality. Larkwater is to pay not only for the drawing up of the plan, but also for the technical assessment of the EIA."

As is the case with objects of spatial plans, there is currently no calculation for a specific fee within the municipality. "The choice of location is the first state of the spatial plan," the deputy municipal mayor explained. "Where the best location would be within the municipality must be determined. Once the location has been determined, a concrete solution can follow."

Larkwater Group, an industrial group of Swiss origin, is seeking to build a €1 billion methanol plant in Estonia. The project is being backed by former Estonian minister and current musician and entrepreneur Toivo Asmer. Larkwater has been seeking a suitable location for the plant for three or four years already; previous choices have included Latvia, Lithuania as well as Poland.

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