12Events of 2022
January
Viru Keemia Grupp and Kiviõli Keemiatööstus have started a joint project to use existing shale oil production technology to convert plastic waste, which has become unusable elsewhere, into oil and gas. The industrial pilot plant could be ready in five years at the earliest and, following the principles of the circular economy, could help solve the ever growing problem of plastic waste.
Febuary
From 1 February, the Hazard Hunt campaign started, dedicated to noticing, caring and recording hazards. The campaign ran until 22 April and 410 hazardous situations were recorded, of which 14% were records of dangerous behaviour.
For many years, we have been supporting the good initiative of „Bring you child to work!“ of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which invites employers, parents and schools to work together to create opportunities for children and young people to learn about work life.
March
On 18 March, VKG Oil and the Rescue Board held a joint fire drill to test the readiness of the company’s emergency response plan (ERP) and to practice the actions of employees in the event of a major accident. It was also intended to test the flow of information, the functioning of the chain of command and cooperation between the various parties involved.
April
Safety and Health Month. We believe that safe behaviour starts with personal choices and safety is the result of those choices.
May
Starting from May, we became a member of the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association.
On 16 May, an important cooperation agreement was signed, which will result in the construction of a modern training centre for Elektrivõrgud. The parties to the cooperation agreement are VKG’s subsidiary VKG Elektrivõrgud, Elektrilevi and Elering, and the aim is to build a training centre in the rural municipality of Kiili by the academic year of 2023/2024.
On 24 May, Estonian mine rescuers celebrated their 75th anniversary of service. There is also a mine rescue crew at the Ojamaa mine.
On 28 May, we celebrated the Chemists’ Day with a spectacular public party. Popular sports competitions, interesting workshops and favourite artists like Swingers, Nublu and GameBoy Tetris attracted thousands of people from Eastern Estonia.
On 6 May, public discussions of the terms of reference for and the intent of development of the designated spatial plan of VKG’s bioproducts production complex and the strategic environmental assessment were held in Kiviõli and Püssi.
On 19 May, another recognition ceremony for outstanding students was held, during which the TalTech Development Fund scholarships were awarded. VKG’s scholarships were awarded to three students in the spring scholarship competition.
On the last day of May, the Responsible Business Forum recognised companies that care about the environment and want to contribute more to society than the law requires. The RBF recognised Viru Keemia Grupp with the Responsible Entrepreneurship Bronze Award!
June
On 15 June, a public discussion of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme was held at the Maidla community hall, where EIA experts from Maves OÜ gave an overview of the plan of environmental analyses necessary for the mine expansion and all interested parties were able to ask clarifications and make proposals for the programme. During the public presentation of the programme, the assessment of the climate impact of the activities and the clarification of the impact on the Aidu quarry were raised in particular.
Recognition of the TalTech Virumaa College graduates!
The restructuring of the group will separate the regulated businesses from the oil shale industry. The legal restructuring of the group has started, as a result of which the subsidiaries VKG Elektrivõrgud and VKG Soojus, which today are part of VKG, will be separated into independent businesses. When the change comes into force, VKG Elektrivõrgud and VKG Soojus will operate respectively under the new parent companies Kirde Elekter AS and Kirde Soojus AS. The shareholder structure of the companies will not change as a result of the division.
August
The Group-wide conscious safety training „I Choose“. By changing the way we think about safety, we improve the working environment and make it safer! It’s important to understand and acknowledge the importance of your own personal attitude and behaviour in shaping safety culture.
An amendment to the Uus-Kiviõli mining permit allowing VKG to extract 5 million tonnes of geological reserves under certain conditions.
We held our traditional school bell party for the 22nd year in a row in 2022. This year, 64 children from our family of employees set off to discover the world of knowledge.
The Miners’ Day, newly renamed as ViruFest, is not just a tribute to the best workers and a concert programme, but also includes sports, entertainment, children’s activities and more.
September
The traditional VKG Environmental Day took place. Organised by Viru Keemia Grupp, the Environmental Day brought together scientists, environmental experts, policy makers and politicians to discuss the possibilities of refining one of Estonia’s largest natural resources – wood.
The joy of working together – for the fifth year in a row, we organised World Clean Up Day activities, this time also involving the city’s schools.
October
The Group signed an agreement with Gren AS for the sale of the network company VKG Soojus.
The „I Choose” safety training programme was completed, with 1,300 Group employees participating.
The second „Learn and Work” campaign was launched. It is a learning programme driven primarily by the need to ensure the necessary next generation of employees for our production units.
November
A major reconstruction of Petroter I was completed. The whole project, from the conclusion of contracts for the manufacture and supply of the main components to the start-up of the plant, took just under two years. The investment amounted to more than 24 million euros.
A traditional job shadowing day took place, where students had the opportunity to discover world of work, learning about the tasks and challenges of professionals in their field.
A founder and major shareholder of Viru Keemia Grupp, Priit Piilmann, passed away.
December
VKG and the Chemical Workers’ Union signed a new collective agreement for the period of 2023–2024.
In order to cope with high energy prices, VKG decided to pay an exceptional Christmas bonus of five hundred euros to all the Group’s employees.
Once again, we opted for charity. We continued our good tradition and instead of hundreds of corporate gifts, we made a donation to the paediatric department of the Ida-Viru Central Hospital.