A private firm looking to construct a tunnel linking Tallinn and Helsinki is set to receive some 15 billion euros from a firm helping to advance China’s Belt and Road initiative.The Angry Birds ref is to game developer Rovio where Vesterbacka was chief marketing officer.
The money will be provided by Touchstone Capital Partners as and when needed. Roughly one third of the money is an equity investment, with the remaining two thirds to be a loan.
FinEstBay, the company behind the project, says the project will run from Helsinki Airport to Tallinn airport and include ‘a couple of stations in between’.
“It’s a relief now we know how our funding plan will look,” said Peter Vesterbacka of FinEstBay. “We’re going full steam ahead and expect trains to be running by Christmas Eve 2024.”
That challenging timetable has raised eyebrows, with several planning stages including environmental impact studies still to be completed.
To remain in Finnish hands
Former Angry Bird Vesterbacka says that FinEstBay will remain majority Finnish-owned.
“At the moment there is a global discussion in Finland and elsewhere, there is a desire to not have too much Chinese money,” said Vesterbacka....MORE
The tunnel will pass directly under the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, upon which our incessant posting may be becoming wearying to loyal reader:
Here's the ridiculously large ship being used to lay pipe further west, in Swedish waters:
The Pioneering Spirit is basically two oil tankers strapped together with a deck thrown across the top.
We've featured it a few times but with this view I'm trying to judge if it is larger than the amusement pier in:
The Financial Times' Izabella Kaminska Examines Seasteading and Is Bemused
More accurately, she comes down on the concept somewhere between bemused and dubious.
We've looked at the idea of islands or ships full of geeks, nerds and billionaire geek/nerds a few times over the years:
Oops that's Brighton Pier by Landscape Photographer of the Year, 2017 finalist Matt Cooper via Geographical.Sorry, bit of free association there.
How embarrassing, the roller coaster should have been a tip-off.
Here's Izabella. I'll go look for the intended picture....MORE
