MP suspects Palokki power plant talks may have broken law

Finnish MP Hannu Hoskonen has filed a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman over negotiations concerning the Palokki rapids and power plant, Yle reports.

Hoskonen, of the Centre Party, says negotiations about the Palokki hydropower plant were held without authorisation from the municipalities or the plant’s owner, North Karelia Electricity.

He claims the talks were intended to pressure municipal decision-makers into approving the sale of the power plant. Hoskonen has asked the Ombudsman to investigate whether the group conducting the negotiations acted in breach of the Constitution, the Local Government Act or the Companies Act.

The complaint concerns a dispute over what should be done with the Palokki power plant in Heinävesi. The state wants to buy the plant and dismantle its dams so migratory fish can reach the rapids upstream. The objective is included in the government programme.

North Karelia Electricity’s board rejected the state’s offer of 40 million euros in the summer, saying it was too low. The company is owned by municipalities, which have promised to announce their positions between September and October.

Joensuu Mayor Jere Penttilä is one of the four municipal directors in the negotiating group, which also includes state officials. He said in an email to Yle that if the Parliamentary Ombudsman decides to investigate the complaint and requests an account of the matter, the group will respond.

Penttilä said it was his understanding that the matter had been handled appropriately in all respects and in compliance with the law.