Estonia's Largest Construction Market Player Now Uses Only Green Energy

Estonia's largest construction company Nordecon concluded a cooperation agreement with Eesti Energia in early May to transition all the group's electricity consumption sites to green energy. The agreement covers all Nordecon subsidiaries and construction projects. The contract totaling 20 GWh is valid for 8.5 years, until the end of 2030.

This represents the most extensive step to date among construction sector companies in Estonia in contributing to the country's climate goals. Thanks to the transition to green energy, 14,000 tons of CO2 emissions will remain out of the atmosphere during the contract period, the impact of which can be compared to nearly a quarter million planted trees.*

„The global environmental footprint of the construction sector is one of the largest in the world, and achieving Estonia's and Europe's green transition goals is not possible without binding our sector to these goals. As a major contractor and public company, we feel great responsibility and seek daily ways to work towards this," commented Nordecon AS Board Chairman Gerd Müller. "Only by consciously taking these steps ourselves and setting an example can we move towards an environmentally conscious and acting society."

„Nordecon group's annual electricity consumption is on average approximately 2,800 MWh, which can be compared to the energy consumption of roughly 900 households in one year. This is approximately 6 times greater than the annual electricity consumption of Ruhnu island," added Gerd Müller.

According to Dajana Tiitsaar, Eesti Energia's Estonian market director, it is gratifying to see that an increasing number of large electricity consumers are choosing renewable energy. "Nordecon is a forward-thinking company taking a responsible step that serves as an example to many large corporations. We also encourage all other companies to take a step towards a cleaner future," said Tiitsaar.

According to Tiitsaar, the actions of clients inspired by the green transition have a significant impact on the entire region's energy production: "Long-term green energy contracts help accelerate the emergence of new wind farms – developers gain the certainty that there is a buyer for the electricity produced. We all understand that wind farms need to be added to our region at a rapid pace so that electricity prices on the market come down. For the green transition to move faster, the choices and actions of large companies are also of great importance," added Tiitsaar.

The construction sector's opportunities to contribute to environmentally conscious business practices are very extensive, encompassing the entire building completion chain from the production and delivery of construction materials to waste management at construction sites. Key actors in the more extensive adoption of forward-looking solutions are project owners and funders, in order to turn green thinking from a choice into an obligation.