The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) programme for PVO-Vesivoima Oy's Puhti pumped storage hydropower (PSH) project is now available. The EIA programme has been submitted to the Lapland ELY Centre and is open for public review and comments until 5 June. The programme will be presented at a public event on 21 May at 17:00 in the auditorium of the Kemijärvi Cultural Centre, and it is also available on the environmental administration's website and in local libraries. The submission of the EIA programme initiates the EIA procedure, which includes studies and assessments that will continue until the end of 2026. Consequently, the project's Puhti office will open to the public in Kemijärvi in May.
PVO-Vesivoima Oy is planning to build a pumped storage hydropower station with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts (MW) and a 36-kilometre 400-kilovolt (kV) power line in Askanaapa, Kemijärvi. The power line would mostly run alongside the existing 110 kV power line. The energy storage for the potential pumped storage hydropower station would be a reservoir created in Askanaapa.
The EIA programme outlines how the environmental impact assessment of the potential project will be conducted. The current programme introduces the project, its implementation options, the impacts to be assessed, and how the project will be communicated and how locals can participate. The Puhti project’s EIA programme takes into account the discussions PVO-Vesivoima has had with local stakeholders, including the monitoring group established for the programme and other residents of Kemijärvi.
“We value open interaction with locals, and this is an important opportunity for everyone to influence the project. We hope that all interested parties will share their views on our EIA programme with the ELY Centre or directly with us. This way, we can consider these views in future studies and planning. As always, we are happy to answer any questions about the project and the programme,” says Jani Pulli, CEO of PVO-Vesivoima and the main responsible for the Puhti project.
The submission of the EIA programme to the ELY Centre also initiates the EIA procedure, during which comprehensive information on the project’s impacts and ways to mitigate or prevent adverse effects will be collected. The EIA procedure is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The results of the assessment phase and the project’s alternatives will later be compiled into an EIA report, which will also be made publicly available.
“We aim to conduct the environmental impact assessment as thoroughly as possible. We will investigate the project’s immediate and indirect impacts on people, the natural environment, and the built environment using various methods. We have already received valuable guidance from the project’s monitoring group,” says Markus Pyykönen, Project Manager of the Puhti project and Asset Development Manager at Pohjolan Voima Oyj.
Puhti Office Opens to the Public on 22 May in Kemijärvi
PVO-Vesivoima will open an office for the Puhti project on Thursday, 22 May 2025, at Vapaudenkatu 8, in Kemijärvi. Everyone interested in the project, pumped storage hydropower, and hydropower is welcome to visit and discuss the project with our key personnel.
On-site, residents can talk with Environmental Manager Veli-Matti Hämäläinen and Environmental Director Aaro Horsma. The office will be open a few days each month, with specific dates announced in advance through the project’s channels and newspaper advertisements.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME
PVO-Vesivoima Oy has submitted the EIA programme for the planned pumped storage hydropower station in Askanaapa and its power line to the Lapland ELY Centre.
The assessment programme is available for public hearing from 7 May to 5 June 2025 at the Lapland ELY Centre (Hallituskatu 3 B), Kemijärvi City Service Point Sortteeri (Vapaudenkatu 8), Rovaniemi City Service Point Osviitta (Koskikatu 19), Kemijärvi City Library (Hietaniemenkatu 5), Rovaniemi Station Library (Lapinkävijäntie 2) until 1 June, and from 2 to 5 June at the container library in front of the main entrance of Rovaniemi Main Library (Jorma Eton tie 6), as well as electronically at www.ymparisto.fi/askanaavan-pumppuvoimahanke-YVA.
Opinions on the assessment programme can be submitted in writing by 5 June 2025 to the Lapland ELY Centre via email at kirjaamo.lappi(at)ely-keskus.fi or by post to Lapland ELY Centre, Hallituskatu 3 B or P.O.Box 8060, 96101 Rovaniemi.
The project and the environmental impact assessment programme will be presented and discussed at a public event on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, at 17:00 in the auditorium of the Kemijärvi Cultural Centre (Hietaniemenkatu 5). Coffee will be served from 16:30. You can also participate in the event remotely. The link to the remote connection will be published at www.ymparisto.fi/askanaavan-pumppuvoimahanke-YVA.
According to the EIA programme, we will investigate the impacts on nature, water bodies, soil, communities, livelihoods, and the economy. Various studies, surveys, and assessments will be conducted during 2025 and early 2026. Some studies are seasonal, and we will conduct them accordingly. Some surveys, such as ground surveys and snow track counts, have already been conducted in spring 2025.
Our EIA consultant is Sweco Finland Oy. The environmental impact assessment procedure is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
We are planning to build a PSH facility with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts (MW) and a 36-kilometre power line (400 kV) in Askanaapa, Kemijärvi. Most of the power line would be located alongside the existing 110 kV Pirttikoski-Jumisko power line. The energy storage for the PSH would be a reservoir created in Askanaapa, utilising the terrain, with a surface area of up to 300 hectares. The surface area would be slightly less than half of Rovaniemi Airport. Water would be discharged from the reservoir through a tunnel to Kemijärvi.
The planned PSH in our Puhti project will enable electricity storage for up to a week. The purpose of the PSH is to balance and ensure electricity production. When there is an abundance of electricity, water will be pumped from Kemijärvi to the higher energy storage reservoir. When there is a shortage of electricity, water will be released from the storage reservoir through a turbine back to Kemijärvi.
For more information:
Jani Pulli, CEO, PVO-Vesivoima Oy, tel. 050 386 2680, jani.pulli@pvo.fi
Markus Pyykönen, Project Manager of the Puhti project; Manager, Asset Management, Pohjolan Voima Oyj, tel. 040 840 2428, markus.pyykonen@pvo.fi