Mining on state lands

Metsähallitus does not have exploration or mining operations of its own, but we look out for business opportunities in this sector. They may include various land use agreements related to mining, supply of stone aggregates for the needs of mine construction and closure, wind or solar power construction, and meeting the needs for ecological or social compensation caused by mining activities.

Mining in Finland

Between 2010 and 2019, mining investments in Finland totalled EUR 3.2 billion, while investments in exploration totalled EUR 590 million in the same period. Most of the investments targeted Northern Finland and, in particular, Lapland. The effects of these investments also extend to state-owned lands.

Electric car manufacturing and the general electrification of society feed a constantly growing demand for batteries, while sustainability issues gain increasing importance. The EU’s Green Deal programme sets the expectation that responsibly produced raw materials should be used in Europe.

Finland plays a significant role in the EU’s battery minerals value chain, particularly in nickel and cobalt, and the country hosts substantial known deposits of several battery minerals. Finland is the world’s second-largest refiner of cobalt after China and the only producer of cobalt within the European Union. Cobalt and several other raw materials produced in Finland are included on the EU list of critical raw materials. Critical raw materials are materials that are of high importance to the EU economy and whose supply is associated with an elevated risk.

Mining as Part of Diverse Land Use

In Finland, many metals are supported by activities and expertise throughout the entire value chain, from mineral exploration to metal refining and related technologies.

The domestic mining industry supports the availability, processing and security of supply of metals. From a regional development perspective, it is important to maintain a diverse economic structure and enable different forms of livelihood and land use to coexist.

Our role is to help reconcile different forms of land use on state-owned lands. We seek to facilitate the coexistence of mining operations, which provide significant regional employment, with other land uses, while also taking into account considerations related to security of supply, natural resources and land use.

Environmental impacts are an important consideration. For this reason, we carefully evaluate environmental impacts and potential effects on biodiversity when providing statements on, for example, mining permit applications, environmental impact assessments, environmental and water permit applications, and mining-related land-use plans.

Tukes permit required for exploration

The number of hectares on which exploration takes place is showing a strong growth, especially in Lapland. For exploration on state-owned land, a permit issued by the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) is required. Tukes requests a statement from Metsähallitus on the matter. Metsähallitus issues hundreds of statements on exploration projects every year. In these statements, a broad range of different land use needs is taken into account. Metsähallitus only grants landowner’s permits in very exceptional cases.

A permit granted by Tukes is also required for gold panning on state land, whereas on privately owned land, the landowner’s permit is sufficient.

Useful further information

• Exploration on state land (tukes.fi)
• Instructions for the payment of compensation referred to in the Mining Act (kaivannaiset.fi)
• Finland’s Mineral Strategy (tem.fi)
• European Commission: Critical raw materials (ec.europa.eu)
• Critical materials website of the National Emergency Supply Agency (kriittisetmateriaalit.fi; in Finnish)

Contact us!

Jenni will help you with matters related to mines, Pasi with ore exploration and questions related to gold panning. For matters related to protected areas, your contact person is Liinu.