The Supreme Administrative Court passed interim decisions regarding the main permit and the KL1 waste rock area

The Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) has passed interim decisions to Terrafame regarding the decisions passed by the Vaasa Administrative Court (VAC) in December 2024.

In December 2024, the VAC passed two decisions, one of which concerned the environmental and water permit covering all of Terrafame’s operations, i.e. the main permit, and the other concerned the KL1 waste rock area. In its decisions, the VAC confirmed the increase in the ore extraction volume to 18 million tonnes per year, approved earlier by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland, but restricted the waste rock extraction volume to 30 million tonnes per year. In its own decision, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland had approved an increase in the waste rock extraction volume from 30 million tonnes to 45 million tonnes per year. The VAC’s decisions partly restricted the construction and use of the new secondary leaching area SEK5−8 and the new waste rock area KL1.

The SAC’s interim decision concerns the execution of VAC’s decisions during the processing time of the appeal. In its interim decision, the SAC increased the waste rock extraction volume to 35 million tonnes per year for the processing time of the case. In addition, the SAC allows the construction of segments 5–6 of the secondary leaching area SEK5–8, as well as the construction of segment 2 of the waste rock area KL1 during the processing time, in line with the permit approved by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland. The segments in question may not be taken into use before the final decision of the SAC.

“We are pleased that the Supreme Administrative Court passed the interim decisions. The content of the interim decisions was in the right direction, even though not all of Terrafame’s demands were taken into account. The interim decision enables Terrafame’s production to continue while the appeal is being processed by the Supreme Administrative Court,” states Seppo Voutilainen, CEO of Terrafame.

“In the longer term, however, it is essential for Terrafame’s operations that the SAC would overturn the decisions issued by the VAC in December 2024 with its final ruling. Should they remain in force, the VAC’s orders would negatively impact our operations, significantly increase costs, and bring unnecessary uncertainty to the long-term planning of our business. In the application for leave to appeal to the SAC, we have presented strong grounds for overturning the VAC’s decisions,” Voutilainen concludes.

Terrafame announced on 27 January 2025 that it had sought leave to appeal in the SAC regarding the decisions issued by the Vaasa Administrative Court in December 2024. In addition, Terrafame requested the SAC to pass an interim decision concerning key operational restrictions.

For further information, please contact:

Seppo Voutilainen, Chief Executive Officer, tel. +358 20 7130 800 (switchboard), seppo.voutilainen[at]terrafame.fi

Veli-Matti Hilla, Chief Sustainability Officer, 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.