The environmental impacts of Kemijoki Oy’s Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant and power line project have been assessed – Assessment report available for viewing

We have now completed the assessment of the environmental impacts of the Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant and power line project during construction, operation, and after decommissioning. The EIA report includes the natural resource inventories and other assessment results in accordance with the EIA programme, as well as environmental impact mitigation measures and their monitoring.

The environmental impact assessment was conducted by experts, based on both existing data and surveys carried out during the project. We investigated the project’s impacts on surface waters, fishing; fish stock and aquatic organisms; soil and bedrock, as well as groundwater; vegetation, birdlife and habitat types; other fauna; Natura and nature conservation areas; reindeer husbandry; local traffic, noise and vibration; climate; air quality; community structure and land use; landscape and cultural environment; and people and society.

“Experts in their respective fields spent 45 person-days solely on fieldwork and comprehensively modelled and assessed the impacts of Finland’s first pumped storage power plant project. We aim to minimise the project’s adverse impact on other land uses in the area as well as on the residents and the environment, and we now have comprehensive information to carry out this work,” says Erkki Huttula, EIA Project Manager at Kemijoki Oy.

Providing information as a basis for decision-making

Kemijoki Oy has sought to ensure that all those who may be affected by the Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant project or are interested in it have comprehensive information about its environmental impacts. To ensure effective information exchange, we have worked closely with the authorities, established a monitoring group for the project, and discussed the project and its environmental impacts at public events, expert meetings, and other stakeholder gatherings.

“The environmental impact assessment and the assessment report enable well-founded opinions and decisions. The construction of the 550-megawatt pumped storage power plant and power line will cause temporary and local inconvenience during the four-year construction period. The impacts during the plant’s operation will be significantly smaller,” says Petri Vihavainen, Vice President, Electricity markets and strategy at Kemijoki Oy.

The Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant would boost Kemijärvi’s local economy and wellbeing through increased jobs and tax revenues. As an owner of Kemijoki Oy, the City of Kemijärvi would receive significantly greater revenue. The pumped storage power plant would improve the Finnish electricity system’s regulating capability and enable further construction of renewable energy. The plant would thus enable new industrial investments and make Finland and Kemijärvi a more attractive investment environment for businesses. The pumped storage power plant would lower electricity prices for consumers, stabilise price fluctuations, and improve predictability.

Negative impacts of the pumped storage power plant would include, for example, inconvenience to the local environment caused by construction-related traffic, noise, and vibration, as well as the weakening of ice cover and thus winter fishing opportunities near the plant water tunnel in the Kuusilahti area. The suitability of the Ailangantunturi area for reindeer husbandry would decline, and recreational use of the area would cease.

The EIA report and its appendices can be accessed at ymparisto.fi/ailangantunturin-pumppuvoimala-YVA (available only in Finnish).

EIA procedure of the Ailangantunturi pumped storage project

• Kemijoki Oy submitted the EIA programme for the planned Ailangantunturi pumped storage power plant and the 400-kilovolt power line to Pirttikoski to the Lapland ELY Centre in May 2024. The EIA report was submitted to the ELY Centre in July 2025.
• The EIA programme defines how the assessment of the project’s environmental impacts during construction and operation will be carried out. The EIA report, in turn, presents the impact assessment based on natural resource inventories and other research conducted in accordance with the programme. AFRY acts as the EIA consultant.
• The assessment report is available for viewing from 30 July to 26 September at the Lapland ELY Centre, Kemijärvi service point Sortteeri, Kemijärvi City Library, Rovaniemi service point Osviitta, and Rovaniemi City Library’s main library, as well as electronically at fi/ailangantunturin-pumppuvoimala-YVA (available only in Finnish).
• Opinions and statements on the assessment report can be submitted in writing no later than 26 September to the Lapland ELY Centre by email: lappi@ely-keskus.fi or by post: Lapin ELY-keskus, PL 8060, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland.
• We will discuss the project and its environmental impacts at a public event open to all, held at Kemijärvi Cultural Centre on 1 September from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Remote participation will also be possible.
• Additionally, we will host webinars where experts will present the assessment results. We will announce the dates of these events in advance on our website and in Koti-Lappi.
• The EIA procedure is planned to be completed during the autumn of 2025. After the commenting period for the report ends, the coordinating authority will review the sufficiency and quality of the EIA report and prepare a reasoned conclusion.
• The environmental impact assessment will act as a basis for the project’s subsequent permitting phase. According to the preliminary schedule, construction could begin in 2029 at the earliest, with production commencing in 2032.

Additional information

Petri Vihavainen
Vice President, Electricity markets and strategy
Kemijoki Oy
tel. +358 20 703 4443
e-mail petri.vihavainen@kemijoki.fi

Erkki Huttula
EIA Project Manager
Kemijoki Oy
tel. +358 20 703 4431
e-mail erkki.huttula@kemijoki.fi