VKG: We are glad that our long-term devotion to protection of the environment received high recognition

PRESS RELEASE

Today, on 1^st December, the biggest oil shale chemistry group in Estonia, Viru Keemia Grupp AS was awarded the title of The Environmental Deed of the Year in the environmental management category.

The chairman of VKG board Priit Rohumaa: „We are very glad that the long-term purposeful activity of VKG in the field of environmental protection received recognition. We are an example of how a large industrial Estonian enterprise has taken the production complex from the Soviet Union times to the level of the best industrial enterprises in Europe. The owners of VKG, the management and every employee work hard to implement modern technologies in environmental protection and to ensure sustainable use of the resources“.

VKG environmental protection investments started in 2001, and in the past 10 years the volume of investments exceeded 60 mln euro. The total investments of the enterprise in the same period exceeded 360 million euro, which makes VKG the biggest investor in Estonia. VKG engineers have filled in the gap in oil shale processing with modern technological solutions. Many useful technological models and patents improving oil shale processing have been registered under the name of the oil shale group. Last year, the most modern oil shale production plant in Estonia – Petroter was launched, and it also received an international patent protection on 29^th September 2011.

VKG is the biggest Estonian oil shale processing enterprise, whose turnover in 2011 has been approximately 180 mln euro, the profit is around 20 mln euro, and the number of employees exceeds 1700 people. The enterprise owns 5 oil shale processing factories; Ojamaa underground mine, 3 thermoelectric power plants; Jõhvi and Kohtla-Järve city thermal companies and North-East Estonian power network.

Additional information:
Julia Aleksandrova
VKG Public relations manager
Tel. 334 2702
GSM 523 2700
Email: