Leppä urges annual compensation for land under power lines

Landowners whose property is crossed by the planned Harjulinja transmission line should receive annual compensation as well as a one-off payment, Jari Leppä, deputy chair of the Landowners’ Association, said, Yle reports.

Harjulinja, planned by grid company Fingrid, would run from Pyhäjärvi in North Ostrobothnia to Kouvola in Kymenlaakso, crossing six regions. The project has faced strong opposition along its proposed route.

Leppä said the line would have significant effects in Mäntyharju, changing the landscape and making business, living, summer homes and tourism more difficult. The line corridor would permanently be cleared of forest, he said, in an area he described as Finland’s most forested and lake-rich.

Under the current system, landowners receive a one-off payment under the Expropriation Act. Leppä said it is usually less than 1,000 euros per hectare, despite the lasting impact. He called for annual payments to those whose land the line crosses and said older power lines could be reinforced instead of building new ones.

Fingrid senior specialist Pasi Saari acknowledged the impact on landowners but said the line is necessary to secure electricity supplies across Finland. A change to the Expropriation Act that took effect last year increased compensation by 25%, he said.

Saari said Fingrid seeks routes that cause as little harm as possible and urged landowners to submit feedback during the ongoing environmental impact assessment. Feedback on the northern section has led to route changes and new alternatives, he said.

Leppä also criticised the project’s preparation as opaque and called for better national coordination of electricity grid development.