Estonia: Government decides to terminate pulp mill spatial plan

In May 2017, the Estonian government launched a procedure for a national designated spatial plan to determine the most suitable location for a planned 1 billion euros pulp mill in Viljandi and Tartu Counties, as well as a strategic environmental impact assessment procedure. The Est-For Invest company planned to build a large-scale pulp mill that would process some 3.3 million tonnes of pulpwood and produce up to 750,000 tonnes of output per year, primarily for export. Following protests by local residents and opposition from local governmental agencies, the government initiated the full termination of the procedures. Read further.