Natura assessment

The Natura assessment of the Sakatti Project examines the nature impacts of the project in exceptional detail

Sakatti's multi-metal deposit is located under the western edge of Viiankiaapa, which belongs to the Natura 2000 network. Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of protected areas with the aim of safeguarding biodiversity and protecting important habitats and species in Europe.

Of the 6,595 hectares of the Viiankiaapa Natura area, the surface projection of the planned Sakatti underground mine is approximately 1% (49.71 ha).

The Viiankiaapa Natura area consists of extensive aapa mires and smaller sections of raised bogs. Viiankiaapa, which is valuable in terms of biodiversity is protected under the Habitats and Birds Directive (SAC/SPA). The area is designated for the protection of 13 habitat types, the otter, five plant species, 25 bird species, and three confidential species. In its entirety, the Natura area is part of the National Mire Conservation Programme approved by the Finnish government.

Natura assessment as part of the environmental impact assessment

The Sakatti Project has been studying the extent of the multi-metal deposit for several years, and the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure for the mining project was conducted during the years 2018-2023. The Natura assessment carried out in connection with the EIA procedure in accordance with Section 65 of the former Nature Conservation Act was completed in 2020 and it was supplemented in 2023.

In August 2023, the ELY Centre of Lapland issued its reasoned conclusions on the EIA report for the Sakatti Project and its statement on the Natura assessment supplement in accordance with the Nature Conservation Act. According to the reasoned conclusion, the report had been prepared in accordance with the law, but in its statement, the ELY Centre called for the Natura assessment to be updated in the next phase of the project.

The update of the Natura assessment for the Sakatti Project (in Finnish) was submitted to the Regional Council of Lapland for the preparation of the Phased Regional Land Use Plan in February 2025. According to the Nature Conservation Act, the developer of the Phased Regional Land Use Plan must request a statement on the Natura assessment from the ELY Centre and the owners of the Natura area.

What was assessed with the Natura 2000 assessment?

The update of the Natura assessment for the Sakatti Project examines the impacts of the planned mine on the conservation objectives of the Viiankiaapa Natura area. It considers the authority statements made in the previous assessment.

According to the Nature Conservation Act, a Natura assessment must be carried out if a project or plan is likely to have significant impacts on the conservation objectives of the Natura area, i.e. the habitats and species for which the site is designated as a part of the Natura 2000 conservation network.

The impact of the Sakatti Project has been assessed on the basis of the above-described prohibition of deterioration. The update of the Natura assessment considers the project's new mineral resource estimate and the updated mining plan on the basis of which a mining permit has been applied from the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes). The groundwater flow model, which assesses the impacts of the mine on the hydrology of the mire, has also been revised based on more detailed geological data and the latest mine plans.

The main impacts on the conservation objectives of the Viiankiaapa Natura site

The significance of an impact is assessed in the Natura assessment according to a number of factors, such as the type, size, scale, timing, and probability of the impact.

It is estimated that the most significant potential impacts of the project on the Viiankiaapa conservation objectives arise from the variation of groundwater level in the northwest corner of the mire. Other identified impact mechanisms include dust deposition, noise, vibration, visual impacts, lighting impacts, the change in land use, and cumulative impacts of past and future exploration.

Impacts after mitigating measures

The updated Natura assessment assessed leaving out the northeast satellite deposit (NE) from the mine plan as an impact mitigation measure. This reduces the hydrological impacts of the project.

Despite the mitigating measures, the Natura assessment concludes that the mining project could have residual adverse impacts on three habitat types (aapa mire, fen, and wooded bog) and two protected plant species (Meesia longiseta moss and Ranunculus lapponicus) on the north-west edge of Viiankiaapa. There is no significant residual impact on the bird population nor otter, the other conservation objectives for the area.

The potential adverse impacts identified in the Natura assessment are limited to a small section of the Natura area. These potential adverse impacts could result from a possible change in the water level of the mire, such that impacts on the mire habitat and mire species most sensitive to change cannot be excluded. There is not enough research on the ability of vegetation to recover back to its natural state, although it is predicted that the water levels of the mire will return to its current level post-mining.

With mitigating measures in place, impacts on fauna are expected to be minor. Noise and other disturbance caused by mining on the Natura area are minimal and reversible. There is extensive data on the ecology and sensitivity to disturbances of fauna and the populations' ability to recover, which supports reliable assessment.

The new mine plan creates the conditions for sustainable mining

Since the discovery of the deposit, the Sakatti Mine Project has been designed and developed in such a way that the environmental impacts of the project are minimised, and the method of implementation is the best possible from the point of view of the protected natural values. During the project planning and impact assessment process, measures to minimise the impacts on the Natura area have been sought.

The project alternative from the EIA procedure that has the smallest impact on the Natura site was chosen to be developed further.

Mine planning has identified many measures to reduce the impacts of operations, which have been taken into account in the new mining plan. These measures include an underground, effectively injected incline tunnel through which the ore is transported for concentration outside the protected area. The use of tailings and waste rock to backfill underground voids and filtered tailings deposition of the remaining tailings not used for backfilling also reduce the footprint of the mine.

A key mitigating solution includes the decision not to utilise the satellite deposit (NE) located northeast of the main deposit, which significantly reduces the extent of the project's hydrological impact area and the drying impacts on the terrain. Based on the updated 2025 mineral resource estimate and the associated mining plan, the exclusion of the satellite deposit does not affect the mine's operational lifespan.

The update of the Natura assessment and its appendices (in Finnish) can be found here.

Read more about the Natura 2000 network and Finland's Natura areas on the website of the Ministry of the Environment.