Environmental responsibility professor Hannele Pokka welcomes decision by regional environmental authority in Finland

Environmental responsibility professor Hannele Pokka has welcomed the decision by the regional environmental authority mandating power companies to construct fish passages. “The fact that it took seven years for this matter to be processed is certainly debatable,” Pokka remarked. She noted that the decision is somewhat permissive, as the schedule requirements were relaxed. Furthermore, planning is not mandated to commence before the decision is legally binding, contrary to initial requirements from the ELY Centre. Water could flow in the Kemijoki River long before legal approval is obtained.

Pokka anticipates that the recent decision may face appeals, as the ELY Centre had insisted that planning should proceed regardless of any objections, maintaining a specific timeline. The authority dismissed several requirements from the ELY Centre, including a proposal to transfer salmon and sea trout upstream from the Isohaara power plant to the Ounasjoki watershed, as well as responsibilities for fish passages at several other power plants.

The regional authority considered the ELY’s efficiency percentage proposal inadequate. Environmental law expert Hannes Koljonen from the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation expressed disappointment over the lack of clear performance targets established by the authority. He had hoped for mandated river restorations to provide spawning grounds for fish navigating the passages, which were emphasized excessively in the decision.

Overall, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation is pleased with the progress made, recognizing the environmental impacts of industrial activities. This decision marks a significant step as such binding mandates for large watersheds have not been previously established. However, questions remain about the timeline for implementation, as companies must also ensure structures facilitate smolt and migrating fish down the river to the sea. Research conducted last summer revealed that only a quarter of released salmon smolts survived past five power plants into the sea.