Continued mining in Pajala

Now the decision has come from the Land and Environmental Court: Kaunis Iron is allowed to continue mining in Kaunisvaara in Pajala Municipality. The Environmental Protection Agency's demand to completely revoke the permits was denied by the court.

At the same time, the court ruled that Kaunis Iron may not expand its production within the framework of the current permit, which amounts to 7 million tons annually. Kaunis Iron has submitted an application for a new environmental permit, which the Land and Environment Court will decide on during the year.

– Today's announcement is encouraging for Norrbotten's continued development, where mining operations are an important basis for the green transition. Hopefully, the decision will not be appealed so that authorities and courts can instead concentrate on the work surrounding the environmental assessment of the new environmental permit, says regional councilor Nils-Olov Lindfors.