The Supreme Administrative Court today (30 June 2022) published its decision on the environmental and water management permits of the Kemijarvi bioproduct factory. The Supreme Administrative Court rejected the appeals from the Vaasa Administrative Court’s decision of 31.12.2020 regarding all other aspects than the emissions of the biorefinery referred to in the permit application to the water body and their effects. The court requires a report on the possibilities of reducing sulfate and sodium emissions caused by the operation.

The report must also examine the effects of sulfate and sodium emissions in the water body together with emissions referred to in permit regulation 18 and thermal emissions. The report should include an examination of the balance of phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfate and sodium in the Kemijarvi lake in its current state and during the operation of the factory”. The report is to be submitted to the Center for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Lapland.

“This is a great day for Kemijarvi and the Kemijarvi Biorefinery! A big step forward. We are grateful to all that have contributed to the project and all that have supported us. We will now continue finalizing the financing arrangements. After this, we can make an investment decision,” says CEO Vatanen.

“Environmental values ​​​​are our core values. We are committed to building the most environmentally friendly biorefinery. One of the most essential aspects is the water quality of the Kemijarvi lake. The water purification solution that will be applied is very advanced. The report that the Court requires is fully in line with our aims and efforts to ensure that the Kemijarvi lake is not adversely affected by the biorefinery operations,” Vatanen continues.