Supreme Court decision means that LAT66 must restart the entire permit process

A translated article from a Finnish newspaper by Tapio Mainio.

The Supreme Administrative Court’s (KHO) decision is an image setback for the Australian-backed mining company, which is seeking additional funding for mineral exploration from international capital markets. So far, the company has invested approximately 20 million euros in mineral exploration in Kuusamo and Posio.

*"This is an important partial victory for us, as the mining company now has to reassess the project's environmental impacts according to the new mining law, starting from scratch. The mining district decision that we appealed was granted over 30 years ago to the original discoverer of the deposit, Outokumpu Oy,"* says Kari Miettunen, chairman of Pro Kuusamo ry.*

"We own most of the Juomasuo and Pohjasvaara areas containing gold and cobalt ore. Now we also have to reapply for an exploration permit for the area to which we, as landowners, have rights,"* states Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy's communications manager, Jussi Lähde.*"In that sense, the Supreme court’s decision complicates matters,"* he adds.According to him, the company is not giving up but will continue planning the mine.###

Local Representatives Oppose the Project.

In practice, the Supreme Court decision means that Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy must restart the entire permit process, says Terho Liikamaa, head of the mining group at the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) in Rovaniemi.*"Under the new mining law, the company must first obtain an environmental permit for the area, followed by city zoning approval from Kuusamo. Only after that can they apply for a mining permit,"* Liikamaa explains.

Securing mining zoning may be difficult, as the majority of newly elected Kuusamo representatives oppose the project due to its potential negative impacts on tourism in Ruka. Juomasuo is located relatively close to Ruka and the Kitkajoki river system.

Under the previous mining law, companies could immediately apply for a mining district designation upon discovering a deposit, ensuring that the finder retained rights to the mineral resource, according to Liikamaa.*"Only at the beginning of actual mining operations were environmental issues assessed. Now the process is reversed.” Liikamaa says.