The Land and Environmental Court at Umeå district court has decided to approve Copperstone Viscaria AB’s application for a permit for mining operations at the already closed Viscaria mine. The permit covers the mining of a maximum of 3.6 million tons of ore per year and is combined with conditions regarding, among other things, emissions to water and air, species protection, Natura 2000 and protective measures for reindeer husbandry.
The court considers that the activity can be allowed in accordance with the adjusted claim that Copperstone Viscaria AB presented shortly before the main hearing. The adjustment meant that a planned open-pit mine is instead mined underground, which is considered to be an advantage from an environmental point of view.
The permit is accompanied by conditions regarding, among other things, limit values for emissions to water and air, noise levels, permitted times for blasting, dam safety and systems for warning the public in the event of an accident. The permit is also accompanied by conditions regarding the closure of the business in the event of collective relocation of reindeer and compensatory measures. Parts of the permit may be claimed even if the judgment is appealed.
– The case has been extensive and the handling has been marked by many adjustments from both applicants and counterparties, which of course entailed special challenges, says councilor Emma Granberg, who has been responsible for the case. Despite that, we have mainly managed to stick to the schedule, which is always an aspiration on the part of the court. Copperstone Viscaria AB has shown in summary that the operation can be permitted, but we have assessed that extensive conditions are required to do so.
– The main negotiation took place for a month in Kiruna. It was intense but still went well, notes councilor Carin Wiklund, who was the court’s president. The goal required that many summoned experts and experts had to report their conclusions and answer extensive questions and opinions. Both the applicant company and the county board did a horse job during the negotiation. This also applies to the Sami villages of Laevas and Gabna, which were present throughout the main negotiation to watch over reindeer husbandry interests. In addition, a large number of other actors, such as the Swedish Agency for Community Protection and Preparedness, Kiruna Municipality, the Sami Parliament, SGU, LKAB, the Swedish Transport Administration and others, have provided views during the processing of the case. In accordance with the Espoo Convention, consultations have also been held with Finland. After the hearing, the court worked for just over two months with deliberations and drafting the verdict, which is just over 300 pages long.
– We are aware that our judgments are extensive and can be perceived as difficult to access, continues Carin Wiklund, even though we make great efforts to make them clear and understandable. Above all, we want everyone who reads the judgment to understand why the court has reached the conclusions we have.
The technical councils Camilla Wolf-Watz and Åsa Engman Ölund agree that there have been difficult assessments, both in relation to purely technical issues, such as dam safety and purification techniques, but also in terms of trade-offs that had to be made in the case, for example in relation to reindeer husbandry.
