The Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland issued two permit decisions on Terrafame's closure structures

Terrafame has been preparing for the closure of its decommissioned production and waste areas for years, alongside its active production operations. The company has also submitted a comprehensive closure plan to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland (PSAVI) at the end of 2024.

Test operations related to closure structures in the waste rock areas, secondary leaching areas, and gypsum ponds have been conducted in the industrial area for approximately 10 years. Based on these tests, as well as various laboratory tests, closure structures have been proposed to PSAVI, which has assessed their functionality in the permit decisions.

In its permit decisions, PSAVI approved the closure structures presented by Terrafame for the most part, with the exception of the protective and growth layer above the liner structure, where PSAVI increased its thickness.

“We are pleased that permit decisions for the closure of the waste rock areas have been received, so we can carry out the closure of the waste rock areas as planned. We aim to close the waste rock areas KL1 and KL2 by about 30 hectares during the summer of 2025,” says the Chief Sustainability Officer Veli-Matti Hilla.

“Based on the preliminary review, the permit regulations seem feasible, but we will examine the decisions in more detail and also assess any needs for appeal,” states Hilla.

Further information:
Veli-Matti Hilla, Chief Sustainability Officer, Terrafame Ltd., tel. +358 20 7130 800 (switchboard), veli-matti.hilla(at)terrafame.fi.

Terrafame enhances low-carbon mobility by delivering responsibly produced battery chemicals to the global battery industry. One of the world’s largest production lines for chemicals used in electric vehicle batteries is located on Terrafame’s industrial site. The plant is capable of producing nickel sulphate for around 1 million EVs per year. The carbon footprint of the nickel sulphate produced by Terrafame is among the smallest in the industry.

Terrafame’s integrated, unique and energy-efficient production process from the mine to battery chemicals is located on a single industrial site. It provides customers with a transparent, traceable and truly European battery chemical supply chain.

Terrafame Ltd was founded in 2015. Its net sales in 2024 were EUR 544.5 million. Around 2,000 people work on its industrial site, approximately 1,200 of whom are employees of partner companies.