Vaasa Administrative Court rules on Hamina pCAM plant project environmental permit appeals

Finnish Battery Chemicals pCAM (formerly CNGR Finland Oy), the project company for the Hamina plant, has applied for an environmental permit and a permit to start operations for the pCAM plant producing precursor, as well as a permit for the construction of a release pipeline and related structures. The permit application was processed by the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) using the priority procedure for green transition, and in February 2024, the permit authority granted a permit for an annual production of 60,000 tons, the construction of wastewater release pipelines, and related dredging. The Regional State Administrative Agency also authorised the company to undertake preparatory measures even before the decision becomes legally binding.

Twelve parties appealed the Regional State Administrative Agency’s permit decision to the Vaasa Administrative Court (VAC). A decision has now been reached on the appeals, allowing operations to commence in accordance with the permit conditions requested by the project company. The permit is currently valid, but according to the decision, the sulphate emission limit value would decrease to 7 g/l two years after the start of operations.

”The court’s decision is a comprehensive package, so we want to thoroughly review the decision and its reasoning. After that, we will decide whether it is necessary to apply for leave to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court,” says Matti Hietanen, CEO of Finnish Minerals Group.

In April 2025, CNGR Advanced Material, a partner company of Finnish Minerals Group, withdrew from the Hamina pCAM plant project due to the challenging market situation, and Finnish Minerals Group is now the sole owner of the company. According to a survey commissioned in summer 2024 from Taloustutkimus, 83% of locals support the project when it is implemented in accordance with the environmental permit conditions.

More information for the media:

Timo Strengell, SVP, Battery Value Chain, Finnish Minerals Group
firstname.lastname(at)mineralsgroup.fi, tel. +358 40 738 4860

The mission of Finnish Minerals Group is to responsibly maximise the value of Finnish minerals. We manage the State’s mining industry shareholdings and strive to develop the Finnish value chain of lithium-ion batteries. Through our work, we contribute to Europe moving towards electric transport and a more sustainable future. www.mineralsgroup.fi