TALLINN — Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica leaders vented on their blogs Sunday that the Reform Party’s proposed changes to the electricity reform bill are a threat to the country’s safety and may cause the loss of 500 jobs.

Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica leader Mart Laar and party member Margus Tsahkna blogged that they are not happy about the Reform Party’s delaying the electricity market reform and attacked the Reform Party proposals to divert funds from biomass energy production and the construction of another oil shale plant.

The energy dispute kicked off on Jan. 13 when the Reform Party rebelled against its coalition partner and voted down the Electricity Market Act along with the Social Democrats, Center Party and Greens, claiming they need more time to discuss the act as billions of krooni are at stake.

Reform Party members consider the energy capacity of wood, the primary biomass that would be used, too small and argue that having Eesti Energia run two shale oil plants will be overly costly at an estimated 24 billion krooni (€1.5 billion).

Laar and Tsahkna both chastised the Reform Party for its deviation from IRL’s proposals.

Laar wrote in his blog that the delay of electricity market reform is “shameful” events.

“Even worse is a wish to annul the energy economy development plan which has been under discussion for several years and was accepted by the Parliament last year. If now will be found that Estonia does not need the oil shale plants as was noted in development plan, then the whole energy economy plan should be reviewed,” Laar wrote in his blog, emphasizing the decision’s impact on Estonian national security.

Tsahkna alleged that the cuts to biomass energy production would cost 500 jobs.

“The buffoonery on the electricity market reform which was hampered by Reform Party in the parliament, will continue tomorrow. The reasons are bizarre, for example the Reform Party demands that wood should no longer be sent to the Estonian energy boilers,” Tsahkna wrote in his blog.