New Consolidated Gold Fields


New Consolidated Gold Fields Ltd Estonian Branch was an oil shale company located in Kohtla-Nõmme, Estonia. It was a subsidiary of Consolidated Gold Fields.
New Consolidated Gold Fields began oil shale research and development in late 1920s in England. In 1930 it began construction of the shale oil extraction complex at Kohtla-Nõmme. It consisted of a shale oil extraction plant, a crushing mill, laboratory, power plant, office building and services facilities, as also housing for 30 workers, dispensary and sauna. The first plant was built in 1931. The plant was equipped with eight rotating retorts. Each of these retorts was capable of processing 15 tonnes of oil shale per day. This facility continued to operate until 1961. In 1934 the company doubled its production by building the second shale oil extraction plant.
In 1934, Eesti Kiviõli and New Consolidated Gold Fields established the service station chain Trustivapaa Bensiini in Finland. During 1940 this chain sold more shale-oil-derived gasoline than did the entire conventional gasoline market in Estonia. In 1937, the company opened the Kohtla underground mine.
After the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union, the company was nationalized in 1940. The Kohtla-Nõmme shale oil extraction complex continued to operate until 1961. The underground mine stayed operational until 2001.