Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG) is an Estonian holding group of oil shale industry, power generation, and public utility companies.

After Estonia gained independence, the state owned oil shale enterprise, Riigi Põlevkivitööstus (English: Estonian State Oil Shale Industry), was established as a department of the Ministry for Trade and Industry on 24 November 1918. Shale oil production started in Estonia in 1921 when Riigi Põlevkivitööstus built 14 experimental oil shale processing retorts in Kohtla-Järve.^[2][3] These vertical retorts used the method developed by Julius Pintsch AG that would later evolve into the current Kiviter processing technology.^[3] Along with the shale oil extraction plant, an oil shale research laboratory was founded in 1921.^[4] Following the experimental retorts, the first commercial shale oil plant was put into operation on 24 December 1924. This is considered as a beginning of the history of Viru Keemia Grupp.^[5]

In October 1936, Riigi Põlevkivitööstus was reorganized as the government-owned joint stock company and was renamed Esimene Eesti Põlevkivitööstus.^[6] It operated three shale oil extraction plants and was constructing the fourth plant. After occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union, the company was subordinated to the Soviet authorities in December 1940.^[7] During the subsequent German occupation, the industry was merged into a company named Baltische Öl GmbH, subordinated to Kontinentale Öl.^[8][9]

During the following Soviet occupation, the company became the Kohtla-Järve shale oil combinate (Russian: Сланцехим) under the General Directorate of Synthetic Liquid Fuel and Gas of the USSR (Glavgaztopprom).^[10] In 1948, the company opened an oil shale gas plant, and for several decades the oil shale gas was used as a substitute for natural gas in Saint Petersburg (then known as Leningrad) and in northern Estonian cities.^[11][12] It was the first time in history that synthetic gas from oil shale was used in households.^[13]

In 1995, the Kohtla-Järve factory and factory in Kiviõli were merged into the single company named RAS Kiviter.^[14] In 1997, Kiviter was privatized and a year later it declared insolvency. Its factory in Kohtla-Järve was acquired by newly established Viru Keemia Grupp.^[15]

In 2008, the company received a permit for developing the Boltysh oil shale deposit in Ukraine.^[16]

VKG Oil opened three new Galoter-type oil plants called Petroter correspondingly in December 2009, in October 2014, and in November 2015.^[17][18][19]

In January 2016, the company announced that due to low oil prices, it will close the old oil plants using Kiviter technology and lay off 500 workers.^[20]

VKG's two main areas of operations are shale oil extraction, and electricity and heat production and distribution.

Main subsidiaries of VKG are:

• VKG Oil - shale oil producer
• Viru RMT – company producing, assembling and repairing metal structures, pipelines and pressure equipment
• VKG Transport – transportation company
• VKG Energia - heat and power generation company
• VKG Soojus – heat distribution company
• VKG Elektrivõrgud – electricity distribution company
• VKG Elektriehitus – construction of power systems
• VKG Kaevandused – oil shale mining
• VKG Plokk – production of cinder blocks
• OOO Slantsehim (73.4%) – developer of Boltysh oil shale deposit in Ukraine

• Energy in Estonia