Minna Takalo, Senior Inspector at the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) for North Ostrobothnia has been involved – in one role or another – in nearly 200 environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures during her career.

“Although I’ve now been in official duties for more than two years, I’m also familiar with EIA procedures from the consulting side, where I worked for about 15 years.”

The ELY Centre for North Ostrobothnia currently has a large number of renewable energy projects undergoing the EIA procedure – perhaps, Takalo estimates, the largest number of EIA projects in the whole country: more than 40 projects are currently underway in the area of the ELY Centre for North Ostrobothnia.

“Most of the EIA projects are wind power projects and associated power transmission plans. When we reach a reasoned conclusion at the end of an EIA, it triggers the initiation of new EIA procedures,” Takalo says, admitting that the authority’s human resources are now tight.

EIA Directive in the background picture

“Not all construction is subject to an EIA procedure. The list of projects in the EIA Act defines the types of project and project transboundaries to which the EIA procedure must be applied. Our national EIA Act is based on the EU EIA Directive,” Takalo says.

“Projects that are included in the list of projects in the EIA Act are basically planning projects that are likely to have significant environmental impacts and therefore need to be assessed and possibly mitigated.”

“When done well, the EIA procedure serves the planning of the project. This means that an EIA should be carried out at an early stage of the project,” Takalo says.

An ELY Centre is tasked with ensuring that an EIA is carried out in a project that by law requires an EIA procedure. In addition to the cases on the list of projects, an EIA can also be carried out on a discretionary case-by-case basis.

“In these cases, too, an ELY Centre is responsible for considering and deciding on the need to apply an EIA, in consultation also with other authorities.”

Weighing up nature values

So how deep does a typical EIA procedure dive into the environment and nature? Takalo replies that before an impact assessment, “people get their boots on” and establish the existing state of the project’s impact area and examine the nature values that may be affected by the project.

“An expert carries out impact assessments based on the surveys and other information prepared in the field,” the senior inspector says.

The EIA procedure involves taking into account and applying several laws, regulations and guideline values. One such factor is the compliance or non-compliance with the Nature Conservation Act – and how this will be addressed in further planning and licensing stages.

“This is why, when carried out well, the EIA procedure is a great tool for a project.”

Engage stakeholders!

“One of the most important goals of the EIA is participation. Stakeholder identification and engagement is part of the EIA procedure,” Takalo points out.

”Stakeholders always depend on the project type and location.”

How are stakeholders consulted in practice? Takalo says that where a project is subject to an EIA procedure, this includes the consultation stages relating to the assessment programme and the assessment report. The ELY centre is the competent authority in the EIA procedure and responsible for ensuring that these stages are announced and that an opportunity for comments is provided.

“Public events are usually held in both stages. The party responsible for the project organises follow-up group events, where they can also present their perspectives,” Takalo says.

In projects subject to EIA, the ELY Centre officially receives feedback after consultation on the EIA programme and EIA report. The statement issued by the ELY Centre is also partly based on the feedback received.

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EIA timeline

The EIA procedure typically begins with a voluntary, but well-established preliminary prior consultation that brings together the authorities as defined in section 8 of the EIA Act. The EIA procedure officially begins once the party responsible for the project submits the EIA programme to the ELY Centre.

The studies and impact assessments presented in the EIA programme are presented later in the EIA report, on which the ELY centre as the competent authority issues its statutory reasoned conclusion.

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Where can residents in the area find out about the EIA procedure?

Under the EIA procedure, the assessment programme and the assessment report must be announced in at least one newspaper published in the area affected by the project. In addition, the announcements are available on the official notification channels of the municipality in which they are located and on the central government’s EIA website. In the announcement, the ELY centre will point out the means and deadline for submitting comments.

“Every citizen has the right to give their opinion on the project during the EIA consultation process. There may also be other opportunities to influence the planning of the project, and these are provided by the party responsible for the project separately outside of the EIA procedure,” Minna Takalo says.

One important purpose of an EIA is to share and acquire information through engagement.

“If anyone is interested or concerned about the project in any way, public events and any follow-up groups or other information sessions will provide information and should provide answers to any questions,” Takalo says.

A representative of the ELY Centre, as the authority, participates in public events as the chair and as a neutral party that is present to listen to citizens’ concerns or views on the project. At the events, the party responsible for the project and the EIA consultant answer questions about the project and impact assessments.