Over 400 leading energy specialists from around the world discussed the present and future outlooks of oil shale energy at the two-day International Oil Shale Symposium that took place in Tallinn, Estonia 10-11 June. Among others, leaders of the International Energy Agency and the World Energy Council took the floor.
According to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, one of the main presenters at the symposium, Estonia is the leading oil shale developer in the world. “There are only two other countries that extensively use oil shale; however, the oil shale operated power station with the highest nominal power as well as a shale oil plant are in Estonia. At the same time, there are plenty of countries in the world whose oil shale reserves are much bigger than ours and for them too, this natural resource may become a cornerstone of energy security,” Minister Parts said.
According to Sandor Liive, Chairman of the Management Board of Eesti Energia, hosting such a major event was a good opportunity to share Estonia’s world-class knowledge and experience on the international arena. “I am glad that so many high-level top specialists gathered to the event. I believe that just seeing our industry first-hand was an experience for our attendees, well worth the trip to Estonia,” Mr. Liive said.
The objective for the Symposium, organised by Enefit, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu and Colorado School of Mines, was to generate and boost international interest in the oil shale industry and to be the initiator of discussion and the builder of links amongst various interest groups in the development of this industry.
The Oil Shale Symposium, held for the fourth time in Estonia, featured over 50 presentations. They included presentations by Didier Houssin, Director of Energy Markets and Security at the IEA, who addressed the future technologies for oil and gas on the global energy market, and Dr.-Ing Leonhard Birnbaum, Vice Chair Europe, WEC, who discussed global energy trends. Sustainability of oil shale energy were analysed by macroeconomics expert Hardo Pajula.
The first oil shale conference was held in Estonia in 1968. The last time Estonia hosted the International Oil Shale Symposium was in 2009, when the event was attended by 300 specialists in their respective fields from 24 countries. This year the symposium brought together 400 experts from 30 countries, including specialists from China, the United States, Brazil, Jordan, Russia, and Turkey.
„It was an honour to host such a high level panel of specialists to Tallinn and showcase Estonia as a leader in this specific industry but also as a first-class destination for international scientific conferences“ said Kadri Karu, Manager of the Estonian Convention Bureau.
The Oil Shale Symposium was held at Tallinn University of Technology, from 10 to 11 June. The event is being organised with support from Eesti Energia, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu, Colorado School of Mines, Haldor Topsøe, Air Products, Outotec, Total, Fluor and QER, with the event partners including the WEC and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Estonia.
