Ambassador Mr. Margus Rava was present in addition to a full house of enthusiastic attendees. The seminar was moderated by Mr. Kalev Ruberg. Estonia's Minister of Climate Ms. Yoko Alender greeted the full house. As her portfolio also includes mining, she used the opportunity to highlight Estonia’s efforts to shift from oil shale to renewable energy sources, including the use of tailings and ash as a secondary source of clean energy. Minister Alender welcomed delegates from many countries and encouraged new partnerships with Estonian firms.
Ms. Kerstin Jorna spoke next. She is the Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Enterpreneurship and SMEs at the European Commission. Ms. Jorna outlined the European Commision’s ambitious twenty-three billion euro fund to support upwards of seventy strategic projects related to the role of minerals and their role in the generation of energy to supplement the role of solar and wind power. Of note, approximately half of the successful projects will be awarded outside of the European Union, emphasizing the role of external partnerships. As an example of the importance of recycling, she displayed a beautiful stone made of germanium which has been mined in Poland for over one hundred years but has only now been discovered to have new roles in supporting high tech devices that are needed to support renewable energy.
Estonia owns more than 3,000 boxes of preserved legacy drill cores, much of it investigated during the Soviet occupation… Ms. Sipp Kulli estimated that these cores would cost billions of euros to collect today.
Ms. Sirli Sipp Kulli, the Director of Geological Survey of Estonia, began her remarks with the stark observation that Estonia has been living in a nightmare for the last three years. She then educated the audience about the Geologic Survey of Estonia and the important role it can play in unearthing the mineral riches of Estonia. Of note, all geologic data in Estonia is in the public domain, making it easier for any potential partners to understand the potential in investing in Estonia mining activities. She illustrated that Estonia shares the same crystalline basement (a concept familiar to geologists) as Sweden and Finland, but noted that that opportunity is currently under-explored. It was fascinating to hear that Estonia owns more than 3,000 boxes of preserved legacy drill cores, much of it investigated during the Soviet occupation. These drill cores provide an invaluable source for research into base metals and other chemical analyses. Ms. Sipp Kulli estimated that these cores would cost billions of euros to collect today.
Ms. Kati Kongi from the Applied Research Department, Enterprise Estonia, began her presentation by noting that “dark times inspire innovation.” She then introduced the audience to Estonia’s main currently mined resources including oil shale (10M tons), sand (4M tons) and limestone (2M tons). Over the decades of oil shale processing in Estonia, nearly a billion tons of waste in the form of ash hills, slag mountains, and tailings have been created. Various innovative techniques are now in use to process this waste into a secondary and circular approach to sustainability for renewable energy. Fly ash, for example, is now used to strengthen cement. Ms. Kongi also noted Enterprise Estonia’s central role in the critical raw materials ecosystem with dozens of business partners, and critically, with the engagement of the local community.
The morning’s final presentation was by Mr. Rahim Suleman, the CEO of Neo Performance Materials. He noted the geopolitical implications of China’s dominance of the rare earth minerals ecosystem. Not only does China dominate ninety percent of the rare mineral resources, both in China and via ownership in other countries, but China has a dominant role in developing the technologies required to mine these minerals. As an extreme example, China controls ninety-six percent of the world’s gallium, an extremely versatile semiconductor used in dozens of applications. Mr. Suleman’s firm understands that a parallel supply chain is vital and for that reason four of Neo’s facilities are in China. In addition, Neo has been in Estonia for fifteen years and it currently has three facilities in Estonia, including a separation plant in Sillamäe and a newly constructed magnet plant. To quote Mr. Suleman, “Estonia is now the cornerstone of Neo’s growth strategy.” He outlined four factors that have enabled Neo’s confidence in Estonia, including STEM graduates with high technical competency, an entrepreneurial culture, a track record of digitalizing complex institutions and processes, a fast and transparent government approvals process, and Estonia’s membership in the EU which is “motivated to become an integral participant in automotive and Net Zero supply chains.”
Mr. Kalev Ruberg then moderated a panel on innovative technologies and the reuse of various wastes. Mr. Allan Niidu from TalTech spoke about techniques used in recycling mining waste. Mr. Priit Jõers from BiotaTec introduced the audience to bioleaching, a process which uses living organisms to extract or liberate metals from their ores. Mr. Karan Jandoo from Nortal spoke about his company’s product that enables a seemless exchange of data. Of note, Nortal has created over forty percent of Estonia’s digital government experiences. The event concluded with an opportunity for questions, time for networking, and posing for a group photo before members of the Estonian delegation visited the Estonian exhibit booth at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
It should also be noted that several speakers alluded to the importance of rare earth minerals not only for a multitude of everyday products, including their central role in electric cars, but also in their critical applications in defense-related products. The two “elephants in the room,” Russia and China, pose a very real threat to the world. Innovative solutions, including collaboration and partnerships, are vital and Estonia is providing valuable leadership to the world in how to harness both mineral resources and talented human resources.
Text and photos by Peeter Põldre
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