BASF receives nod for battery plant in Finland after addressing environmental concerns

BASF addressed previous concerns over the environmental impact of its battery component plant in Finland and received a nod from local watchdog ELY Centre for the plant’s startup.

The plant, located in the city of Harjavalta in southwestern Finland, is designed to supply 300,000 electric vehicles annually, with nickel and cobalt to be sourced from a nearby plant of Russia’s Nornickel.

BASF first filed its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report with ELY in late 2018, receiving an approval soon, but it was reversed by a Finish court in summer 2022.

BASF then made significant changes to the project to address negative impacts, including the release of sulfates from process effluents. The planned annual production volume of precursor of cathodoactive material (PCAM) within the project of 30,000 tonnes remained unchanged. On March 30, 2023, BASF submitted to the ELY Centre an updated report on the changes made to the project in accordance with the EIA Law.

Based on the amended project appraisal report prepared by BASF, the ELY Centre prepared an updated reasoned opinion in accordance with the EIA Law.

In its reasoned opinion, the ELY Centre considered the issues of treatment of sulfate-containing process wastewater from the production phase of the project and discharge of treated process water into the Kokemäenjoki River, treatment or disposal of crystallized sulfate, treatment of process wastewater of the intermediate phase and protection of the groundwater zone on the territory project.

ELY Centre’s opinion is yet to be approved by the regional state administrative agency, which will decide whether to issue a permit. The agency agreed to consider it via a priority procedure designed for green transition projects. To qualify for the priority procedure, projects must comply with the “no significant harm” principle, that is, the project must not adversely affect other environmental objectives.