Aidu quarry is an open pit mine in Ida-Viru County which opened in 1974. Villages in Aidu were inhabited before the establishment of the oil shale mine, with the earliest records of human habitation in the Aidu area dating back as far as 1241. The villages of Aidu, Aidu-Nõmme and Aidu-Liiva disappeared during the establishment of the quarry and over 200 families were forced to leave their homes.

The dig site area of the quarry was around 25 km2 and its oil shale output reached up to about 2.4 million tons a year. About 90 million tons of oil shale was mined from the quarry.

Mining operations in Aidu ended in 2012 due to the exhaustion of its natural resources. Eesti Energia Kaevandused AS carried out the tidying-up operations in the mine to close the quarry and make it safe. The ground was made level, trees were planted and a rowing channel was established in the course of these operations. When the quarry was closed and pumping stopped, the exit roads at the south end of the quarry filled with water and a unique artificial water body or side channel system was created. The oldest parts of the quarry have been restored as farm and forest land.

Source: Aidu Watersports Centre