New Charge for Transmission Line Expropriation Permits in Finland

Expropriation permits for high-voltage transmission lines of at least 110 kV have so far been free of charge. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has now prepared a draft government decree that would make such permits subject to a charge for the first time. The draft decree is currently out for consultation, and comments may be submitted until 23 October 2026.

High-voltage transmission lines for energy production and other industrial projects typically require an expropriation permit under the Act on Expropriation of Immovable Property and Special Rights (603/1977). Where a project requires an environmental impact assessment procedure, an expropriation permit may be needed even if the connection line route has already been secured.

The draft decree would set a fixed charge of EUR 18,500 for a decision on an expropriation permit for a power transmission line, gas network or comparable project, and the same charge of EUR 18,500 for a decision on a separately granted advance possession permit for such a project. The charge reflects the average total cost to the state of processing this type of permit.

The substantive requirements that an application must meet would remain unchanged. This means that the application itself must still cover the key project information, a description of the area to be expropriated, and justification for the project’s necessity and chosen route.

The proposal responds to a growing backlog in permit processing. The number of expropriation permit applications has increased in recent years, and processing times have grown longer as a result. Handling of such applications by the Council of State has recently taken as long as 24 months, permits that the National Land Survey can grant are typically processed more quickly. Introducing a charge is intended to help secure the resources needed to speed up the permitting process without placing an additional burden on the state budget. That said, the proposal includes no firm commitment to earmark the charges for the handling of permit applications.

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