Finnpulp gave up the mill project in Kuopio, Finland
The mill would have had the capacity to produce 1.1 million tons of softwood NBSK pulp
Finnpulp announced that it is abandoning plans to build a bioproduct mill in Kuopio in Eastern Finland.
After completing feasibility study, the company, in 2015, first announced plans to construct a greenfield softwood pulp mill in Kuopio at an estimated cost of 1.6 billion euros. The mill would have had the capacity to produce 1.1 million tons of softwood NBSK pulp.
By 2015, the company started an environmental impact assessment and a permit was granted by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland in March 2017.
However, in 2019, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) of Finland (Korkein hallinto-oikeus), the highest court in the Finnish administrative court system, rejected the project’s environmental permit because of Finnpulp had not provided sufficient studies.
“We have provided all necessary and requested material to the authorities and courts during the permit process. Therefore, the statement in the decision that Finnpulp has not provided sufficient studies is incomprehensible”, said CEO Martti Fredrikson, at the time.
In May of 2021, Finnpulp filed for an annulment of the negative decision on the environmental permit of the mill project. Earlier this year in January, the SAC issued its decision rejecting Finnpulp’s application for annulment of the court’s decision in 2019.
“Finnpulp has now given the project up. At the same time the company also gave away the site agreement with the City of Kuopio for the planned Sorsasalo mill area”, declares. “The company has also had preliminary agreements with the owners of the neighboring properties of the planned mill area. Similarly, these agreements will be abandoned”, completed.
“At this point the company does not have anything else to comment”, says CEO Martti Fredrikson.
