Sami villages, organizations, individuals and Finnish parties have considered that there are general shortcomings in the application. They have objected that it is not possible to make an overall assessment of the environmental consequences of the operation because the company has not simultaneously applied for permission for its other projects next to Nunasvaara Södra.
- The application applies to all activities that the company intends to conduct at Nunasvaara Södra and is not dependent on other projects or environmental permits. The court also does not think that there are any flaws in the evidence. It has therefore been possible for the court to carry out a complete assessment of all environmental effects, explains the court's chairman, councilor Anna Svedjevik.
The substantive examination before the court has included the location of the business and its impact on, among other things, human health, reindeer husbandry, water environments, species and Natura 2000 areas. The court has concluded that permits and species protection exemptions can be issued. Two important issues in the case have been the activity's impact on reindeer husbandry and the impact through emissions to water.
- That the water can be purified means that mining operations can be conducted without unacceptable risks for land and water environments. The terms of the judgment have been determined to guarantee this, says Per Lagervall, as a technically knowledgeable judge in the case.
- A mine always involves an intervention in the natural environment and an impact on reindeer husbandry. In this case, mining will only be allowed to take place the six months a year that the Sami villages are not in the area. The court has therefore concluded that mining operations and reindeer herding can coexist on the site, says Lena Nilsson, also a technically knowledgeable judge in the case.
Talga's application for a permit was submitted to the court at the end of May 2020. The processing time from the time the application was received until the court announced its verdict amounted to almost three years.
- The goal has been a little unusual because the application has also been made available to the public in Finland. Material has also been translated into Finnish. It has affected the court's processing time, explains Anna Svedjevik, councillor.