Abbreviated form of legal source
- Land Use and Building Act
Description of the process
The implementation of all RES projects begins with the site selection.
Finnish municipalities enjoy a great degree of autonomy and thus, all RES development has to be approved by the municipality (as they grant the construction permit) and compatible with the municipality’s spatial planning.
It is customary – not compulsory – to inquire the local DSO whether there is space available for the installation in the local grid. However, grid capacity cannot be reserved at this stage.
Additional steps concerning:
Wind onshore: All onshore turbines exceeding 50m in height require approval from the Finnish Defence Forces, whose military technology may be interfered with by wind turbines. The Defence Forces has to be consulted regarding any onshore wind project. The consultation is free of charge and usually takes place at a very early stage of a project as in case of disapproval, the project will be discontinued. The project is evaluated by the Defence Forces Wind Power Unit, sometimes with the help of Technical Research Centre of Finland. The results of the Defence Forces consultation are final and cannot be appealed. There is a so-called wind power compensation area in the Western coast of Finland, where onshore wind projects are exempted from the Defence Forces consultation as the area has been pre-mapped for wind power production purposes.
Geothermal and ambient heat: Geothermal heat and ambient heat projects are usually initiated by the local district heating operator, and thus, supported by the municipality by default. Therefore, site selection may prove as unproblematic as these installations have been built adjacent to already existing heat generators. Finding a completely new site to a heating plant can be difficult on an urban setting.
Competent authority
- Municipalities
- Finnish Defence Forces