The environmental impact assessment regarding the Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant project to continue with a resident survey

Kemijoki Oy is continuing the preplanning of the Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant project and mapping the impacts of the planned power plant and power line options on the economy, people and environment in the Kemijärvi region. We will explore the current use of the area by conducting a resident survey. Based on the survey and other assessments, we will evaluate the impact of the pumped storage power plant project.

The resident survey is open to all parties that could be affected by Kemijoki Oy’s pumped storage power plant project. With the survey, we ensure that we are aware of and consider all essential aspects regarding the use of the area as well as any insights on the possible impacts of the project.

Currently, we are conducting natural resource inventories and other assessments in accordance with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme. Concerning the pumped storage power plant and the 400-kilovolt power line required by regulating power transmission, we will assess the impacts on, among others, surface waters and water management, soil and bedrock, groundwaters, fish stock and fishing, vegetation, wildlife and other natural assets in the area, conservation areas, reindeer husbandry, climate, air quality, and urban structure.

“Early in the summer of 2024, we received a great deal of opinions and statements on the EIA programme concerning Finland’s first pumped storage power plant. Each response to the resident survey is also valuable to the planning and development of the pumped storage power plant project at Ailangantunturi,” states Erkki Huttula, Environmental Manager at Kemijoki Oy.

The results of the resident survey will be reported as part of the EIA report, which will be completed in summer 2025.

The resident survey is available online at https://mpt.link/Ailangantunturi. A print version of the survey can be requested by phone at +358 50 476 3697. The survey is open until 31 October 2024.

Info box: The progress of the EIA

• During spring 2024, we created an EIA programme for the pumped storage power plant project at Ailangantunturi. The programme is a plan outlining how the assessment of the project’s environmental impact during the construction and operational phases will be carried out. AFRY acts as the EIA consultant.
• In May, we submitted an EIA programme concerning the pumped storage power plant at Ailangantunturi and the 400-kilovolt power line leading to Pirttikoski to the Lapland ELY Centre. We presented the programme at a public event at the Kemijärvi City Hall. More information is available in Finnish on the website of Finland’s environmental administration.
• We are now conducting natural resource inventories and other assessments in accordance with the EIA programme, and once they are completed, we will create an EIA report. The report presents an assessment of the project’s environmental impact based on the conducted natural resource inventories and other research.
• We will continue our close cooperation with the authorities and the monitoring group. We will present the results of the natural resource inventories and other assessments at a public event in Kemijärvi in spring 2025.
• The EIA procedure is planned to be completed during the early summer of 2025.
• The EIA will act as a basis for permitting at a later stage of the project.
• The pumped storage power plant could be operational in 2032 at the earliest, acting as an energy storage or hydroelectric battery that balances Finland’s power system.

Additional information

Erkki Huttula
Environmental Manager
Kemijoki Oy
Phone 020 703 4431
Email erkki.huttula@kemijoki.fi