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Coalition votes to hold wind farms discussion behind closed doors
Credit: ERR | 18 Feb 2025 | news.err.ee ~~
The Riigikogu Anti-Corruption Select Committee had planned to publicly discuss the transparency of subsidies for wind farm construction and their impact on electricity prices on Monday but decided to hold the meeting behind closed doors.
The Anti-Corruption Select Committee consists of six members, with half representing the coalition (Eerik-Niiles Kross, Irja Lutsar and Eduard Odinets) and the other half from the opposition (Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Rain Epler and Priit Sibul).
The committee voted against making the session public. A total of four votes in favor would have been required to open the discussion to the public. According to the committee’s chair, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Center Party, this was the second time the coalition used its voting power to control the agenda.
“Recently, there was the issue of the state secretary, where the prime minister refused to appear and the coalition blocked the discussion. Now, a small group of people has decided to support offshore wind farms – potentially the most expensive form of renewable energy – with €2.6 billion in subsidies over 20 years. However, figures and calculations are not being shared with the Anti-Corruption Select Committee and the decision-making process is not being disclosed to the public,” Kovalenko-Kõlvart said.
She also pointed out that Estonia’s energy plan was approved by the government within a small circle of three ministers instead of being widely discussed.
The session had been set to include presentations from Rein Vaks, head of the energy department at the Ministry of Climate, and Karlis Goldstein, head of the renewable energy sector.
Representatives from the National Audit Office, senior attorney Allar Jõks from law firm Sorainen, Enefit Green CEO Juhan Aguraiuja, Enefit Green Supervisory Board Chair Andrus Durejko, representatives from the NGO Transparency International Estonia and Arvi Hamburg, chairman of the Estonian Academy of Sciences’ Energy Council, were also invited.
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