Fridays for Future Estonia vs. Environmental Board (Oil Shale Mining Case)

MTÜ Loodusvõlu, the legally registered NGO of Fridays for Future Estonia, challenged an amendment to a permit which allowed companies to extract increased amounts of shale oil. The permit, originally issued in 2019, granted Enefit Industry AS and Osaühingu VKG Kaevandused permission to extract shale oil, a coal-like fossil fuel, at the Uus-Kiviõli sites until 2049. In October 2025, the Board amended the permits to increase the quantity of oil shale mined to a total of 15 million tonnes a year, or a 2.5-fold increase. MTÜ Loodusvõlu claimed that in making the amendment, the Board had failed to assess the indirect climate impact of increased mining, caused by increased downstream greenhouse gas emissions from the processing of oil shale. Additionally, they claimed that the Board also inadequately assessed the impacts of increased mining on nearby wetlands and wildlife, including species and sites protected under the EU Bird Directive and Habitat Directive. The Tallinn Administrative Court accepted the case and designated the Environmental Board as the defendant.