Court sends Pori TNT factory appeals back for review
Tuesday 10th November 2026 on 12:45 in
Finland
Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that appeals against a planned TNT explosives factory in Pori must be considered, delaying the project’s permitting process, Yle reported.
The case will return to the Turku Administrative Court. The Supreme Administrative Court did not decide whether the factory can be built at its planned location; it ruled that residents’ and environmental organisations’ appeals must be heard.
The appeals had not been considered because the Environmental Impact Assessment Act allows projects deemed essential to national defence to bypass some requirements. The Turku Administrative Court had found that residents did not have the right to appeal. The Supreme Administrative Court cited the Constitution, which guarantees the right to have decisions concerning a person’s rights and obligations reviewed by a court or another independent judicial body.
The project, led by the Ministry of Defence, would see defence industry company Forcit build the factory in Noormarkku, Pori. The regional environmental authority decided that an environmental impact assessment was not required, citing the national defence exemption.
Residents and environmental organisations appealed both the factory’s siting permit and the exemption. Residents have raised concerns that the factory could restrict the use of their properties and prevent them from obtaining building permits. Environmental groups are concerned about the protected Poosjärvi Natura area. The Turku Administrative Court rejected the appeals in June.
The factory has also received a building permit through a separate process, which is itself under appeal. The state has granted the project 18 million euros, while the EU defence industry programme and the United States have each provided 20 million euros.
The Ministry of Defence has pressed for the factory to be built quickly, saying that Finland and Europe need more explosives for weapons as countries increase their defence purchases following the war in Ukraine.