Court orders Estonian state energy firm to halt shale oil plant construction

Judges rule environmental impact in Narva-Joesuu had not been fully assessed after activists brought case

Estonia's supreme court has ordered the state energy company Enefit to halt construction on a shale oil plant because of the damage it will do to the environment.

Young activists took the municipality of Narva-Joesuu to court over claims the building permit it granted breached international climate agreements. The court ruled it had assessed the climate impact well enough but not the environmental impact, and revoked the permit.