Sokli Oy is preparing an environmental and water management permit application for pilot operation in Savukoski
The permit application concerns pilot mining and pilot beneficiation plant operations in the Sokli area in Savukoski.
Sokli Oy is preparing to submit an application for an environmental and water management permit to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland (PSAVI) for the Sokli mining project in Savukoski, Eastern Lapland. The permit application covers the operation of the pilot mine and pilot beneficiation plant and the associated water management and treatment of tailings. The application is expected to be submitted during the autumn.
The aim of the pilot operation is to ensure, on a small scale, that the future mining operations can be implemented safely and responsibly. The pilot operations are carried out using established technologies, and they form an integral part of environmental impact minimisation and risk management in Sokli. The best results are achieved when testing is conducted in a real-world environment, using actual materials and scalable technologies.
According to the plans, the pilot operations will take place in areas that have already been used for pilot purposes. The pilot mine is located in the Loitso area, where exploratory pilot mining have been carried out since the 1960s. The ore extracted from the Loitso area is mainly soil-like material, which can be mined by excavator without drilling and blasting. The pilot beneficiation operations are planned for the site of the old 1978–1980 pilot beneficiation plant, where the current Sokli mining camp is located. Tailings will be treated in areas to be built inside the old tailings pond. This enables minimising the environmental footprint of the new operations.
The pilot mining will take approximately 4–6 months, and the period of pilot beneficiation operations is estimated at three years. The pilot plant will produce iron and phosphate concentrates and investigate the separation of vermiculite, rare earths and niobium into individual products. The amount of ore to be extracted is approximately 170 kt.
The application will address the environmental impacts of the construction and operation on soil and bedrock, groundwater and surface water, the natural environment and reindeer husbandry.
The environmental permit process
The application for an environmental permit is subject to an impact assessment that takes into account the location and surroundings of the operation. After examining the permit application, the PSAVI will give public notice of it.
The notice and the application documents will be available for at least 30 days in the Water and Environmental Permit Information Service. Information about the public notice will also be published in the Savukoski municipality’s media and in a newspaper local to the area affected by the operation. Parties concerned will receive a letter of public notice.
The PSAVI will request statements from the relevant authorities, experts, organisations and businesses as well as other relevant parties. In addition, other parties may give their opinion in writing.
After the period of notification, the permitting authority will forward to Sokli Oy any opinions and objections received on the application, to which Sokli Oy may respond. The authority will then examine whether the permit can be granted and, if so, specify the permit provisions in its decision.
More information
Pasi Heino, Project Director, Sokli Oy
firstname.lastname(at)mineralsgroup.fi, +358 50 553 5032
Jani Kiuru, SVP, Raw Materials, Finnish Minerals Group
firstname.lastname(at)mineralsgroup.fi, +358 40 823 8471