Guidelines for priority treatment of green transition projects completed

The Ministry of the Environment has published guidelines concerning the priority treatment of projects that promote investments in the green transition in permit procedures. The guidelines are available on the website of the Regional State Administrative Agency. They are intended both for the permit applicants and for the Regional State Administrative Agencies and Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. 

Subject to certain conditions, operators can apply for priority treatment in the processing of environmental permits under the Environmental Protection Act and/or permits for water resources management projects under the Water Act at the Regional State Administrative Agencies in 2023–2026. The aim of the priority treatment is to speed up the processing of permit applications so that the total processing time would be shorter than the average. In other respects an application that has received priority treatment is processed in the same way and using the same criteria as other permit applications.

Projects concerning the following can be eligible for priority treatment: 

1. energy production establishments that use renewable energy to produce energy and offshore wind farms and the related water resources management projects;
2. industrial projects based on renewable energy or electrification that replace the use of fossil fuels or raw materials;
3. manufacture and utilisation of hydrogen, except for manufacture of hydrogen from fossil fuels; 
4. capture, utilisation and storage of carbon dioxide;
5. battery factory and manufacture, recovery and reuse of battery materials.

In addition, the project must comply with the Do No Significant Harm principle.

The legislation concerning priority treatment promotes Finland’s aim to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare society. The proposal and the legislation concerned is also linked to the targets of the Government programme to promote the circular economy and halt biodiversity loss.
Appeals that are important with respect to the green transition will be processed as urgent at the administrative courts in 2023–2028. 

Guidelines will be translated into English in February.

Inquiries:

Sami Rinne, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 250 361, [email protected]