Four foreign mining companies prospect for uranium in Finland

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A number of  foreign mining companies are searching for uranium in Finland. Four of them have filed for prospecting reservation permits during the past year in areas where uranium deposits are considered most likely.
      Late last year the Ministry of Trade and Industry received its first applications for mining claims. Decisions are expected by the summer at the latest, says Krister Söderholm, chief mines inspector at the ministry.
     
Mining claims are valid 1-5 years, after which a company can get an extension of three years. This gives mining companies up to eight years to determine whether or not an ore deposit is economically viable.
      The Ministry of Trade and Industry estimates that it takes from five to ten years to open a mine. Söderholm says that it is "not very likely" that viable deposits will be found, but he would not completely rule it out.
      Opening a uranium mine would require the permission of the Finnish government. The process for a permit is long and thorough. Environmental permits are needed even for experimental excavation.
      Mining companies are required to pay annual compensation to the land owners of EUR 10 per hectare for a mining claim, in addition to a fee o fEUR 7 per hectare that goes to the state.
     
Prospecting is most advanced in East Uusimaa, where the French company Cogema made a prospecting reservation in an area covering five municipalities. In November, the company asked for an extensive claim permit covering 166 square kilometres in the communities of Askola, Mäntsälä, Pernaja, Porvoo, and Pukkila.
      In addition, Cogema has applied for permission to stake a claim in North Karelia, and has made a reservation in an area north of Helsinki, in Kiikala, Nummi-Pusula, Somero, and Suomusjärvi.
      A public hearing on the application for a prospecting permit in Askola was held on Monday. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is asking local authorities in the area and the regional Environment Centre for comments on the application by the end of February.
      The ministry stipulates, that prospecting for uranium, when it is done right, does not impose any radiation hazards on people or nature. The view is that the prospecting can actually help protect citizens against radiation exposure by giving a clearer understanding of what parts of Finland have a higher risk of radioactive radon gas.
     
Although the prospect of a local uranium mine raises fears among many residents, Finnish law does not allow municipalities or local residents to block the establishment of a uranium mine on the basis of such apprehensions.
      Under the law, a local authority can oppose a mining claim if there is a "valid reason based on the use of the areas". This means that a uranium mine cannot be set up in an area set aside for a shopping mall, for instance.
      If actual mining starts, the mining company is required to pay for the land and buildings on it. According to an assessment by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, tens of thousands of people live in the areas that the mining companies are looking at.
     
In addition to Cogema, two British companies are prospecting for uranium in Finnish Lapland. One of them, Agricola Resources, is focusing its search on Salla and Eno, while the other, Belvedere Resources, is prospecting in Kukastunturi and Kesänki.
      In December, the Canadian-owned Scandinavian Gold Prospecting submitted a claim application for Katajavaara in Kittilä. The company might give up its application, because the ministry is not agreeable to a claim covering the whole area.
      The mining companies are also interested in ores other than uranium. The Ministry of Trade and Industry estimates that mining is viable if the uranium content of ore in the ground is between one half of one precent and one percent.
      Any uranium that is mined in Finland would not be refined in Finland for use in nuclear power plants. The closest installations for uranium enrichment are in Sweden and Russia.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Canadian company buys gold deposit in Kittilä in Finnish Lapland (7.11.2005)

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