Oli-shale is one of the most important natural resources in Estonia. In 2017 about 85% of the enery used comes from oil-shale. The mining and benefication of oil shale and its use in the energy and chemical industry have damaged and will continue damaging the Earth´s structure, landscape, surface and ground water, atmosphere, plant cover and animal life, and human health and living conditions. Producing the energy from oil-shale comes with emission of considerable amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thus contributing to global climate change. Read about oil shale also in the case of "Oil-shale mining and Tammiku sacred grove, Estonia”. Oil shale mining in Aidu quarry in Ida-Viry County started in 1974, but preparations for the open cast mine began ten years earlier. In 1964 a decision was taken to allocate 680 hectares of land to the Aidu (then called October) oli-shale open cast mine. There were forests and grasslands on this land, but there were three villages - Aidu, Aidu-Nõmme and Aidu-Liiva with more than two hundred households as well. Due to Soviet time society rules, the were no possibilities to democratically participate in the decision making process or to stand up against the oil-shale mine. The villages didn’t disappear immediately, in some households, they lived for more than ten years until the open cast mine began to work – until the road was blocked, the water disappeared and blasting made the environment dangerous. In these ten years, households were evaluated and locals were searching for new residences. The inhabitants were offered the opportunity to move to the apartment, second option was the financial compensation in order to build a new house for themselves. According to local residents, theoretically the compensation was big enough to buy the construction materials for a new building (only main building, not for the firewood shed etc), but the problem was the availability of building materials. Aidu's open cast mine also had an impact elsewhere. Mine had a major impact on the water regime of the surrounding area - the drinking water supply became a problem. It is also believed that ground vibrations caused by blasting caused damage to nearby buildings. In addition, everyday life has been accompanied by noise from the quarry, which was a problem for both humans and animals. Due to the exhaustion of stocks in 2012, the work was completed. Aidu's oil shale production reached about 2.4 million tonnes a year, over 90 million tonnes of oil shale has been mined over the course of time. In total, the open cast mine area reached 25.5 km2 over the years. Already before the official end of the mining, the idea of establishing water sport centre with the rowing channel that meets international requirements onto the area of open cast mine, emerged. In August 2013, the 2.3 km long, 162 m wide, and 3.5-meter deep channel was completed. In addition to the water sports center, the plans for the area include a wind park, a firing range for Estonian Defense League, an area for reusing the side products of oil-shale mining (limestone), and various recreational facilities. The area also has forest-covered areas, over 4 million trees have been planted over the years.

Aidu karjäär ja põlevkivi kaevandamise mõju

Eesti üks tähtsamaid maavarasid on põlevkivi – 2017. a. seisuga pärineb ca 85 % Eestis kasutatavast elektrienergiast just põlevkivist. Põlevkivi kaevandamisega on kaasnenud ja kaasnevad olulised keskkonnakahjustused, see mõjutab nii maapõue ehitust, pinnamoodi, põhja- ja pinnavett, atmosfääri, taimestikku ja loomastikku kui ka inimeste elutingimusi ja tervist. Põlevkivist elektri tootmine paiskab atmosfääri olulises mahus kasvuhoonegaase, panustades seeläbi globaalsetesse kliimamuutustesse. Loe põlevkivi kasutamisest ka juhtumist “Oil-shale mining and Tammiku sacred grove, Estonia / Põlevkivikaevandus ja Tammiku hiis”.

Põlevkivi kaevandamine Ida-Viry maakonnas asuva Aidu karjäärist algas 1974. aastal, kuid ettevalmistused karjääri rajamiseks juba kümme aastat varem. 1964. a. novembris võeti vastus otsus eraldada 680 ha maad Aidu (tollase nimega Oktoobri) karjäärile. Sellel maa-alal oli nii metsa kui sood, aga kolm küla – Aidu, Aidu-Nõmme ja Aidu-Liiva külades oli kokku paarsada majapidamist. Tulenevalt Eestis tollal valitsenud riigikorrast võimalused oma kodu saatuse osas demokraatlikult kaasa rääkida elanikel sisuliselt puudus. Päris kohe külad ei kadunud, mõnedes majapidamistes elati veel enam kui kümme aasta kuni karjäär tööle hakkas – teed läbi lõigati, vesi ära kadus ja lõhkamine elamise ohtlikuks muutis. Nende kümne aasta sisse jäid majapidamiste hindamine ja uue elukoha otsingud. Elanikele pakuti võimalust minna elama korterisse, alternatiiviks oli rahaline kompensatsioon, millega ise uus maja ehitada. Kohalike elanike meenutuste järgi oli makstava rahaga teoreetiliselt võimalik osta uue maja ehituseks kuluv materjal (küll mitte enam ehitusmaterjale kõrvalhoonete jaoks ), kuid probleemiks oli ehitusmaterjalide kättesaadavus. Aidu karjäärikaevandus avaldas mõju ka mujal. Karjääriga kaasnes ümbritseva ala veerežiimi muutus – joogiveevarustusest sai probleem. Samuti peetakse lõhkamistest põhjustatud maapinna vibratsiooni lähikonna hoonete mõrade tekitajaks. Lisaks on igapäevaelu saatnud karjäärist kostev müra, mis oli probleem nii inimestele kui loomadele.

Karjääritööd lõpetati varude ammendumise tõttu 2012. aastal. Aidu karjääri põlevkivitoodang ulatus umbes 2,4 miljoni tonnini aastas, aegade jooksul on kaevandatud sealt üle 90 miljoni tonni põlevkivi. Kokku sai karjääriala suuruseks aastate jooksul 25,5 km2

Juba enne karjääritööde ametlikku lõppu tekkis idee rajada suletavale karjäärialale Eesti esimene rahvusvahelistele nõuetele vastav sõudekanal. 2013. aasta augustis valmis spordikeskuse keskmeks olev 2,3 km pikkune, 162 m laiune ning 3,5 meetri sügavune sõudekanali süvis. Lisaks veespordikeskusele on alale kavandatud tuulepark, Kaitseliidu lasketiir, aheraine taaskasutusala ja erinevad puhkevõimalused. Alal on ka metsaga kaetud piirkondi, kus elutseb ka metsloomi. Aastate jooksul on endisele kaeveväljale istutatud üle 4 miljoni puu.

Location

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Environmental impact

  • Air pollution
  • Water pollution
  • Land degradation (e.g. drought, soil contamination, erosion and desertification)
  • Biodiversity loss – Ecosystem destruction
  • Depletion of natural resources (fossil and mineral, forest, water, etc)
  • Waste, waste disposal, and toxicants
  • Alteration of landscape aesthetics and built heritage

Ethical/ legal issues

  • Health and well-being
  • A clean and prosperous environment and a safe and pleasant habitat
  • Indigenous land, culture and rituals

Information sources & materials

Online books and newspaper, magazine, encyclopedia, or blog articles

Links to images, online videos, documentary movies, etc

Oktoobri, hilisema Aidu karjääri avamine https://youtu.be/no5RPXkWJdk Nov 2017

Contributor(s)

Eeva Kirsipuu-Vadi, NGO Peipsi Center for Transbounday Cooperation

Content repository