The Administrative Court of Northern Finland has annulled four exploration permits granted for areas located on or near the protected Viiankiaava nature reserve in Sodankylä. The decisions, originally issued by Finland’s Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes), will now be sent back for reconsideration.
The disputed permits concerned exploration activities applied for by the mining company AA Sakatti Mining, owned by Anglo American. Several environmental groups, including Sompion luonnonystävät ry, appealed the permits, citing inadequate environmental assessments and vague conditions.
The court found the permit conditions to be “insufficient, unclear, and contradictory.” According to the ruling, it was not adequately specified which actions the company was entitled or obligated to undertake.
Concerns over eagle nesting protection
Much of the criticism focused on the lack of measures to protect the nesting sites of the white-tailed eagle. In some of the permits, only a single nest was mentioned, despite the presence of multiple nests and artificial nesting sites in and around the area.
The court also noted that another strictly protected species might be present in the area, but Tukes had failed to investigate this further or impose relevant conditions to ensure its protection.
As a result, the court decided to return all four cases to Tukes for a new review. No further exploration may proceed in the affected areas until the authority has re-evaluated the situation and possibly issued new permit conditions.
Mining company: project continues unaffected
Sakatti Mining, a subsidiary of the British mining giant Anglo American, downplayed the significance of the ruling.
– We are considering supplementing our application. It’s also possible that Tukes will request additional information or clarify its decisions, said Anglo American Finland’s Managing Director Pertti Lamberg in a statement to Finnish media.
According to Lamberg, the ruling does not impact the company’s broader mining project.
– The decisions only concern exploration outside the actual mining area, so they do not affect the progress of the mine itself, Lamberg said.
The company has long been planning a large underground nickel and copper mine near Sodankylä, in the heart of Lapland. The project has drawn criticism because parts of it overlap with Viiankiaava, a Natura 2000 site featuring fragile wetlands and several protected species.
Next steps: possible appeal to higher court
The ruling does not mean a definitive halt to the exploration plans, but it places increased scrutiny on the authority’s handling of environmental issues. Tukes must now re-evaluate its previous decisions and determine whether new conditions should be imposed.
The decisions can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, provided that leave to appeal is granted. It remains unclear whether any party will take the case further.
The case highlights the growing tension in Finland between mining interests and environmental protection, particularly in sensitive northern wetlands. As the EU pushes for greater self-sufficiency in critical raw materials, such conflicts are expected to intensify.
Source: Yle / Northern Finland Administrative Court
