Controversy has erupted over the sale of Estonia's main energy plants to Americans—with opponents of the deal on July 25 attempting to turn up the heat on the government and the U.S investors.

The government last month agreed to sell a 49 percent stake in the two power stations to the Minnesota-based NRG Energy for 55 million dollars and 361 million more in investment to revamp the Soviet-built utilities. The state-owned Estonian Energy would retain a 51 percent share of the installations, which burn oil shale to produce some 95 percent of Estonia's electricity. Negotiators for the government and NRG say they hope they'll be able to sign a final agreement next month; it would also need to be approved by parliament. But the NRG deal has angered opposition parties and also many local business leaders who say the desire to cozy up to the United States for national security reasons has led the government to accept unfavorable economic terms. In one of the largest rallies in Estonia in recent years, some 1500 people denounced the deal outside parliament Tuesday, saying it forfeit Estonian sovereignty. Opposition deputies on July 25 also returned from their summer recess to try to force through a special session of the 101-seat Riigikogu parliament to debate the sale, but they fell four seats short of the 51 necessary for a quorum.