OREANDA-NEWS. January 23, 2015. State-owned energy giant Eesti Energia said it could ditch plans for its own refinery and produce diesel fuel from shale oil in cooperation with a refinery elsewhere in Europe.

“Building our own refinery is just one possibility, one which needs great oil production capacity. But a possibility to produce diesel fuel from shale oil in a already existent refinery also exists,” new Eesti Energia CEO Hando Sutter told Postimees.

Sutter said they are looking for a refinery in the EU with spare capacity. He said talks are taking place and results will be made public once a decision has been made.

Sutter told ETV on December diesel fuel production plans have been shelved as the volumes are huge and the company first needs to increase the production of shale oil from oil shale rock.

Both Eesti Energia and the privately-owned Viru Keemia Grupp had been actively seeking diesel fuel production capabilities until oil prices began dropping last year. Both have recently opened shale oil production facilities.