Mining company offers landowners 99-year pipeline access contracts

A mining company planning a polymetal mine in Ranua has sent contracts to 166 landowners for a 54-kilometre wastewater discharge pipeline, Yle reports. The company wants to build the pipeline across privately owned land.

One of the landowners is Sirpa Kaikkonen, whose shoreline property on the Kemijoki River in Tervola would be made available to the mining project for almost a century.

“It is an outrageously bad contract,” Kaikkonen said. “They want to take control of my plot now, but say they will determine and pay compensation later. How could anyone sign such a contract?”

Kaikkonen’s 1.7-hectare property is divided by the Itäpuolentie road. The pipeline would require a 30-metre-wide strip cleared of trees all the way to the river, cutting the property into sections. Kaikkonen estimates that this would make the plot practically worthless.

Under the proposed contract, the mining company could immediately take possession of the area, clear the trees and build the discharge pipeline, pumping stations and maintenance roads there for up to 99 years. The arrangement would remain in force until mining at Suhanko ends or the pipeline is no longer needed.

The landowner would also have to give up activities such as excavating soil and planting trees, and agree to follow the company’s instructions. The contract says landowners could continue using their property for purposes including farming and forestry, provided those activities did not interfere with construction, operation or maintenance of the pipeline.

The company offers a signing payment of 200 euros and promises to pay separate compensation for the right to use the land later. The amount and payment date are not yet known.

Juha Rissanen, Suhanko’s land manager, said the National Land Survey of Finland would determine compensation for each property in an expropriation procedure. The contract promises to pay double the usage compensation, but Rissanen could not say when the procedure would take place.

Company says contract terms cannot be negotiated

Rissanen said all landowners would receive the same contract, whose terms could not be negotiated. The company’s goal, he said, was to ensure that all landowners along the pipeline route were treated equally.

The company has hired a consultant to discuss the contract with landowners. Kaikkonen said she planned to attend a meeting to hear what the consultant had to say.

Juho Ikonen, a land-use expert at the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners, said he understood why landowners might be confused by the document. He said he had also needed to read some of its clauses several times to understand their meaning.

Ikonen said disputes and disagreements often arose from unclear and ambiguous contract terms. He advised landowners to set aside enough time to review the document carefully.

He also suggested that the landowners form a negotiating group and, if necessary, jointly hire expert assistance.

The pipeline’s right-of-use corridor would be 20 to 30 metres wide and 54 kilometres long, with all trees cleared from the route. The underground pipeline would have a diameter of 70 centimetres and be installed at a depth of two to three metres.

Key permits remain under appeal

The Suhanko mine has been planned and investigated for more than 20 years. In recent years, the project has gained momentum because of geopolitical developments, demand for metals and European Union goals to increase self-sufficiency in critical raw materials.

The company has already built the first road connections, although the project’s environmental and water management permit has been before the Vaasa Administrative Court since summer 2025. A secondary-area permit issued by the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency for the discharge pipeline has been under consideration at the Northern Finland Administrative Court since December 2024.

The project’s financier, CD Capital Natural Resources Fund III L.P., is registered in the Cayman Islands.