Forcit and local residents dispute safety distances for planned explosives factory in Pori

A disagreement over safety distances has emerged between explosives manufacturer Forcit and local residents in Pori, Finland, as the company plans to build a TNT factory in the Noormarkku area, according to a report by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Residents argue that the factory’s proximity to schools and homes is dangerously close, measuring less than three kilometres as the crow flies to a local school. Forcit, however, states the distance is roughly double that when calculated along actual road routes.

The dispute stems from differing interpretations of how distances should be measured. Forcit maintains that when assessing a project’s impact on community development, distances are typically calculated along the shortest safe walking or cycling route—not in a straight line. However, safety distances for blast effects are determined as the crow flies, based on the outer walls of buildings and their capacity.

“A pressure wave doesn’t follow roads,” said Mari Saarivirta, a local resident opposing the project, who claims the actual distance to Kankaan School and Koivukuja Daycare is about 2.6 kilometres in a straight line.

Forcit CEO Joakim Westerlund confirmed that safety distances are measured from the outer walls of buildings, accounting for their capacity, but operational accessibility is evaluated via road routes.

The factory, planned for a forested area between Noormarkku’s town centre and Poosjärvi Lake, is considered critical for national defence, leading to most project documents being classified. This secrecy has complicated public discussions on safety.

Finland’s Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) defines protection distances based on five risk categories, with the highest (K 60) covering hospitals and daycare centres, and the lowest (K 15) including public roads. The required safety distance is calculated using the cube root of the stored explosive quantity (in kilograms) multiplied by the site’s risk factor.

Forcit has not disclosed the exact amount of explosives to be stored, but a defence procurement agreement reveals the factory will reserve 3,000 tonnes of annual TNT production for Finland’s Defence Forces between 2028–2037, with a minimum annual order of 1,500 tonnes.

Preparatory work has begun at the site near Highway 23, though construction has not yet started. The permitting process remains incomplete, now subject to a new law that took effect in April.