Farmers and summer residents unite against uranium prospecting

Ministry gives go-ahead for claim in North Karelia

print this

An application for a uranium mining claim by the French mining company Areva has sparked strong protests among farmers and summer cottage owners in Nummi-Pusula and Somero in the south of Finland. Areva wants to explore for uranium in an area covering about 50 square kilometres, and to assess the viability of opening a mine in the area.
      Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade and Industry granted Areva a claim in Eno and Kontiolahti in North Karelia.
      Possible commercial mining might begin 20 to 30 years from now.
     
In Nummi-Pusula, in the West Uusimaa region, opposition to Areva’s plans for prospecting for uranium was apparent to anyone driving along the main road in the area. Every other utility pole had a sign saying no to uranium mining, and some land owners expressed similar sentiments on their fence posts, indicating that a mine would be unwelcome in their back yards.
      Areva submitted its application for exploration on Tuesday. In the application, 35 of the proposed 50 square kilometres would be in Nummi-Pusula, and the remaining 15 in neighbouring Somero. There are a total of nearly 400 farms in the area.
     
The plans came as a surprise to at least some of the summer residents.
      "We have been kept in the dark. There has been hardly any information. However, a big issue is at stake. Companies can change owners, or disappear, but excavated mines stay there for thousands or hundreds of thousands of years", said mining opponent Riikka Levonen.
      On the other hand, Areva had actually made a public announcement of the plan last year, and the municipality of Nummi-Pusula had taken a negative stand on the matter.
      However, the information had not filtered through to the thousands of summer residents of Numi-Pusula, who mainly come from the Helsinki region.
     
On Tuesday, information on the matter was offered at three events. First, Areva briefed the press on the matter. The press conference was a closed event: MP Heidi Hautala (Green) and Eero Soinio, the municipal mayor of Nummi-Pusula, were not allowed inside.
      "We had an event organised by a private company. We did not want any outsiders there", said Osmo Kaipainen, managing director of Areva Resources Finland.
      The opponents of the project later held an event of their own, and in the evening there was a meeting at which villagers and Areva met each other.
     
Opponents of the project said that Areva had said that it would not promote the project if residents objected.
      Kaipainen says that the company’s words had been misconstrued. "Our management has used the expression 'people of Finland', which is a broader concept."
     
Also on Tuesday, the Ministry of Trade and Industry granted Areva permission to prospect for uranium and other ores in Eno and Kontiolahti in North Karelia.
      The decision requires the use of methods that cause little permanent damage to the environment. The permission does not extend to test excavation or experimental refining of the ore.
      The claim rights are valid for five years, and apply to 18 areas with a combined surface area of about 1,500 hectares. The company believes that there are deposits of uranium and thorium in the area.
      If there are no appeals, the decision will take effect on December 4th, after which the work can begin. However, Osmo Kaipainen notes that it may take until the spring, when the snow melts, before the prospecting can begin.
     
The initial goal is to collect information from the area over a period of a few years.
      "First are the geophysical studies, which will be conducted by plane or helicopter. The aim is to get more detailed information to make it easier to mark it", Kaipainen explains.
      "After a few years, the areas will be narrowed down to one or two square kilometres, and they will be studied more closely. If the deposits are promising, we might start drilling in a year or two.
      It could take 10 to 15 years beofre planning for the mine can start, and the planning itself could take as long.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Demonstrators come to Helsinki to protest against uranium exploration rights (4.5.2006)
  Eastern Uusimaa residents grill uranium company about exploration rights (21.2.2006)
  Four foreign mining companies prospect for uranium in Finland (18.1.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat