27.05.2015
The construction of the roads intersecting with Rail Baltic in Rapla County will require approximately one hundred thousand cubic meters of local limestone rubble – this was one of the many facts brought up at the Baltic Construction Minerals Miners Forum held in Pärnu.
“The largest infrastructure project in the Baltics in the coming years will be the construction of Rail Baltic, the preparatory work for which is already underway. A new European Union financing period is also beginning, within the framework of which many objects of local importance will be financed. All these construction objects require large quantities of construction materials. At the same time, issues related to the quality of construction and materials have been sharply raised in Estonia,” explains the need to organize the Baltic Construction Mineral Resources Forum. The forum, which brought together Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian mining engineers, mining managers, road builders, construction material manufacturers, etc., was held on 13-15 May in Pärnu.
In his presentation at the forum, Anti Moppel, advisor to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, also pointed out that the quality of the minerals needed for railway construction must be very good. For example, the sand used must contain only one percent organic matter and two percent soluble salts.
The amount of mineral resources needed in a particular location also depends on the terrain.
“For example, Nabala is a very good flat area for construction,” Moppel noted. At the same time, the newly created nature reserve in Nabala has ruled out the construction of a railway there.
Moppel mentioned that wildlife studies have been conducted in connection with Rail Baltic.
Moppel named the Rääma bog in Pärnu County as one of the most critical locations in the construction of Rail Baltic.
In Rapla County, the reconstruction of the roads intersecting with Rail Baltic will require about one hundred thousand cubic meters of limestone rubble, the same amount in Harju County, but about three quarters more in Pärnu County, because the route is also longer there. Four million cubic meters of sand and gravel will be needed in Rapla County. In addition to local mineral resources, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of granite rubble will have to be imported from abroad to ballast the railway embankment.
Moppel added that they are currently also collaborating with Eesti Energia to explore the possibilities of using oil shale mine waste in certain layers of the railway embankment.
Whether new mines will have to be opened in Estonia due to Rail Baltic is something that the project's promoters cannot say at this time, because first the route must be finalized, a preliminary design must be prepared, and a security of supply study must be conducted.
According to current plans, detailed planning of Rail Baltic will be carried out in 2017-2018, land acquisition for construction will be carried out in 2016-2018, and construction will take place in 2019-2025.
Source: Raplamaa Messages, 27.05.2015
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