Green technology company Trisector and Enefit Power start cooperation

Trisector, a green technology company active in the reprocessing of industrial waste, and Enefit Power have signed a cooperation agreement to start processing the waste rock from the Estonia mine into new products.

The aim of the collaboration is to transform waste materials into new raw materials, such as industrial minerals used in construction, road building and forestry, and functional fillers used in the production of paper, paints, sealants and plastics. Trisector plans to invest around €30 million in the development of the company over the next three years.

"Sustainable development is the basis for today's economic growth. This means using the available material as many times as possible and at the same time organising the work processes in the most efficient and sustainable way," said Climate Minister Kristen Michal. "Demand for secondary raw materials is growing across Europe and Estonia has great potential to set an example for the world thanks to its smart green technologies."

Trisector's cooperation with Enefit Power, a subsidiary of Eesti Energia, started in 2021 to find new ways to create more value from waste materials. Until now, this by-product of oil shale mining has been used as a building material and for infrastructure.

"Oil shale and limestone are found in layers in the ground. Limestone has to be separated from oil shale to produce energy. More widespread use of limestone as a tailings will increase the added value of the oil shale industry. Together with our partners, we are looking for new applications for the by-product in order to jointly implement a realistic solution for the reuse of limestone from mining as a secondary raw material," said Andres Vainola, Chairman of Enefit Power.

"The cooperation with Enefit Power is important so that we can create a large-scale processing plant at the Estonia Mine: Trisector is honoured to be Enefit Power's partner in achieving the recycling targets," said Arnout Lugtmeijer, CEO of Trisector. "We see a large growing market for secondary raw materials and one of the goals in building the plant is also to exceed market standards in terms of improved sustainability labels, such as energy and water consumption. The first phase of the plant is at the design and permitting stage and is expected to start producing mineral fillers in 2026. The current plans are to have a plant in 2028 that will already be able to produce up to one million tonnes of upcycled secondary raw materials," Lugtmeijer added. 

The reuse of Enefit's mining and power generation waste, such as waste rock and ash, supports the goals of the circular economy. In 2022, Enefit Power reused more waste rock than it generated in the same year, contributing to the construction of roads and solar parks. The waste rock from the Estonia Mine will be used to produce product-compliant aggregates for use as building materials.

Under the terms of the agreement, Enefit Power will acquire a 10% stake in the joint venture, with the possibility to increase its stake in the joint venture during the construction of the processing plant. 

Trisector OÜ is a green technology company that aims to reduce the use of primary raw materials by supplying the market with secondary and resource-efficient raw materials. Secondary materials, produced by the reuse of mining by-products, are suitable for use as mineral fillers in the plastics, paper, building materials and other industries,  for the  Northern European market.