Estonian electricity production up 50%

TALLINN -- Estonia's energy industry has seen strong growth over the past year, Statistics Estonia said in its most recent report, with electricity production up by around 50%.

"In 2010, the production of electricity of Estonian power stations totalled nearly 13,000 gigawatt-hours, which is about a half more than a year earlier," the national statistics agency said in its report, released on Sept. 13.

Statistics Estonia said the increased electricity production was mirrored by a hike in oil shale production, which accounts for the vast majority of Estonia's energy.

"As more than 90% of electricity is oil shale based, the increasing demand for electric energy led to a 20% increase in oil shale production. Over a half of produced shale oil was exported. The production of wood pellets was 7% bigger than in 2009 due to a stable external demand, and the production of peat grew by more than 10%."

Estonia exported much of the electricity, with energy exports growing by half as well to make up around one third of the country's total exports.