Residents win environmental review for Vantaa power line

Finland’s Permit and Supervisory Agency has ordered an environmental impact assessment for a planned power line between Keimola and Aviapolis in Vantaa, following a request from local residents, Yle reports.

The agency said the 14-kilometre, 110-kilovolt line could have significant effects on biodiversity. It could hinder flying squirrels, reduce a resting area for birds and affect the landscape and recreational use. The agency also said it could not rule out impacts on the conservation values of the Vantaa River Natura area, although the route would not pass through it.

The line falls below the size threshold that would automatically require an assessment under the law. However, the agency said the likely scale of the environmental effects justified requiring one in this individual case. Such discretionary decisions are rare for power lines that do not meet the legal threshold.

Residents and associations had asked for a decision on whether an assessment was needed after the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment said in autumn 2025 that one was not required. The agency’s predecessor then began reviewing the issue less than a week after its earlier statement.

Ture Tähtinen, who represents residents opposing the project, welcomed the decision and called it “a victory for democracy”. He said the project would have very large environmental impacts and argued that earlier environmental studies had left questions unanswered. Tähtinen said he hoped the route plans would be changed, adding that residents believe other options would have smaller environmental effects.

Construction was due to begin in 2028, but Vantaa Energy Electricity Networks chief executive Elina Lehtomäki said the assessment would delay the start. She said the line was needed because electricity consumption in Vantaa is growing while production in the capital region has fallen, requiring electricity to be brought from farther away. Delays could make it harder to connect new customers to the network, she said.

The company has commissioned expert studies of the line’s environmental effects, including assessments of nature values and valuable species. Lehtomäki said the planning had also considered several ways to reduce those effects. The assessment process includes public consultations and statements from authorities, and its findings are taken into account when projects are licensed.