Eesti Energia needs capital, govt mulls options

STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Estonia's state-owned energy company Eesti Energia needs more capital for investment and the government is looking at options, the country's economy minister said on Monday.

"Estonia Energy certainly needs more capital," Juhan Parts told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on the Baltic region. "How to do that and in what time frame, it is too early to say."

He said money was needed for investment in renewable energy, the development of oil shale deposits and for infrastructure.

Governments in the Baltic region are looking to bolster finances, badly hit by recession and the fall-out from the financial crisis.

Parts said one option the government was looking at was an initial public offering, but he gave no further detail.

Earlier this year, the European Investment Bank gave Eesti Energia a 150 million euro ($219 million) loan for modernizing and developing Estonia's electricity network. (Editing by Dan Lalor) ($1 = 0.6839 euro)