Vaarunvuori hill, internationally valuable, was saved

This page tells you about the Vaarunvuori hill at 62 degrees north latitude in central Finland, and the plan to construct there the first pump-fed power station in Northern Europe. Vaarunvuori hill in the taiga zone is known, besides as internationally valuable, also as the most valuable area in central Finland from the standpoint of the preservation of biolocigal diversity.

The endagered species in Vaarunvuori hill were in a danger zone until year 1998. Imatran Voima Inc. planned for 30 years to construct a pump-fed power station on this same Vaarunvuori hill. This peculiar pumping station would haveused at least 25 - 33 % more electricity than it would have produced; even more than the production of the planned Vuotos hydroelectric plant in Northern Finland.

The pump-fed power station plan

About 5/6ths of the endangered species in Vaarunvuori hill were in a danger zone. For almost 30 years a state-owned company Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which now owns two nuclear reactors, threatened to construct the first pump-fed power station in Finland and in Northern Europe on this same Vaarunvuori hill (also referred to as Vaaru).

• The principle of a pump-fed power station is that water is pumped up to reservoir at night, when electricity demand is low, and then released in the daytime to satisfy peak demands. Such a cycle is required in conjunction with huge power plants, especially nuclear power, which are both vulnerable and difficult to regulate. At present the construction of a fifth nuclear reactor is again being discussed at a high level in Finland.
• The pumping station with its basin on the top of Vaarunvuori hill would have worked by electricity, being a short period peak power station. It would have used at least 25-33 % more electricity than it would have produced. The loss at minimum would have been about 100 GWh per year, equivalent to at least the electricity consumption of the households (without heating) of about 100,000 Finns.
• Using the pumping station only a little more than planned more than 20 years ago, the loss would have been equivalent to the production of the Vuotos hydroelectric plant.

The pump-fed power station would have erosed the biological diversity

• The maximum electricity output of the pumping station, 540 MW, would have been about equivalent to that of a nuclear power station. At electricity consumption peaks during the daytime (about 9 a.m. and 6 p.m) the water would have flown 117 metres down to Lake Päijänne with the same force (540 m3/s) as the mean flow of the second largest river in the Baltic region, the river Kemijoki as it streams into the sea.
• The endangered species, mainly on the slope of the rocky outcrop between the planned basin (1 km2 ) and Lake Päijänne, would have been affected by the switchgear site, the enormous power line (400 kV), new roads (3 km), the gigantic mouth of the lower channel with its embankments, and other constructions. Outside the constructions the mutual balance of the current species and their occurrance would have been endangered because of waterlogging of the soil, fog and other changes in the microclimate, ice erosion, and air pollution produced by blasting and other building work.
• Orinally drafted in the 1960s the plan received the go-ahead from the Water court in 1981, but the power station was not then considered necessary. On 19.4.1995 The Vaaru plan was granted additional time to the year 2001, passing the Supreme Court (KHO) with votes 4-3, against the advice of the referendary. On 30.12.1997 the company concealed the plan. The area is now a nature reserve.
• IVO's partner Kemijoki Inc., has in turn gone ahead with it's infamous plan to construct a hydroelectric plant in Vuotos in Finnish Lappland. This reservoir would inunduate 237 km2 of the valuable large river, its surroundings, and the homes of numerous people. The pump-fed power station would use up as much electricity as the Vuotos power station would produce.

Violated the aims of the EC Habitats Directive

• The proponents of the Vuotos plan managed to manipulate both the Vuotos and Vaarunvuori hill plans out from the sphere of Finland's new environmental impact assessment legislation (EIA), provided that Finland could become a member of the EU. In IVO's case, with its peculiar pumping station plan, the utility succeeded only by using a loophole: IVO kept its project boiling officially for more than twenty years.
• There has still been no unbiased report in the common interest about the economics of the pumping station. The plan was contrary to energy saving and to the consumer pays principles, and apparently violated the aims of the EC Habitats Directive. There are many alternatives to the pumping stationt, including a compressed air driven power plant in a former mine.
• Many authorities, the district of Central Finland of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, and Vaarunvuori hill movement opposed for a long time the plan during e.g. legal proceedings. Even the president of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, did not consider Vaarunvuori hill the only alternative to the pumping station site, if it ever were really needed (12.12.1995).

Imatran Voima Inc.'s plan to construct a pump-fed power station on Vaarunvuori hill in central Finland seemed to be the biggest single threat to endangered species in Finland apart from Vuotos plan.

Numerous alternatives

• Fast alternatives to the pump-fed power stations are a compressed air driven power plant in a former mine, on the consumer pays principle, and electricity saving.
• A power structure based on more dispersed, renewable energy sources would decrease the range of electricity consumption over 24-hour periods (Helsinki University of Technology 1988).
• In a few decades the method of storing hydrogen energy will be the strongest alternative to pumped storages (NEMO, KTM, B:80, 1990, and Worldwatch 1991).
• Even the President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, among many other authorities, did not consider the Vaarunvuori hill to be the only alternative site for the pumping station, if this is ever were really needed (12.12.1995).
• The nearist of numerous alternative locations was 10 km north from Vaarunvuori hill.

Changed 13.5.2001

Vaarunvuori hill, an unique example of biological diversity

The Vaarunvuori hill in the taiga zone is known especially for its internationally valuable flora. The rocky outcrop is classified as internationally valuable from the standpoint of protecting the biological diversity, the most valuable in central Finland. (This was written 1997-2000))

Being in the taiga zone there are nationally endangered species like the flying squirrel, Cinna latifolia (Graminae) and insects of untouched forests. Many of them, like the flying squirrel and Arctic saxifrage (Saxifraga nivalis), occur here at the limit of their range; Plagodis dolabraria (Lep: Geometridae) occurs here in it's northernmost habitat in the world.

18 species of living organisms on Vaaru are included in Directives of European Union.Twelve of the bird species encountered on Vaaru are included in Annex 1 of the Birds Directive (The EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds). That is 20 % of them in Finland.

In addition, six other species of living organisms are included in Annex IV (which provides strict protection ) of the EC Habitats Directive. Five of them are animal species, 16 % of the animals species in Annex IV living in Finland.

There are also eight habitat types on Vaaru included in Annex I of the EC Habitats Directive.

There are 25 nationally endangered species on Vaaru. Six of them are bird species (20 % of nationally endangered birds in Finland), ten species of insects, and eight species of plants.

In addition to at least 90 nationally or locally endangered species more than a dozen species of butterfly found nowhere else in central Finland have been found over the past few years.

For almost 30 years a state-owned company Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which now owns two nuclear reactors, threatened to construct the first pump-fed power station in Finland and in Northern Europe on this same Vaarunvuori hill (also referred to as Vaaru).

About 5/6ths of the endangered species, including the last habitant of Pannaria mediterrania in Finland, on Vaarunvuori hill have been found only in the area of the danger zone caused by the pumping station plan. The area (2,5 km2) is already on 6 conservation programmes, e.g. the old growth forest programme, one on top of the other. An internationally valuable old nature reserve would have been surrounded by the constructions needed by the plant.

In addition, as regards its biological diversity,Vaarunvuori hill is the most valuable area in central Finland for the Natura 2000 network. Finland has 20.8.1997 decised to suggest most of the Vaaru (6,25 square kilometers) to the Natura 2000-network.

Vaaru is known one of the most remarkable monuments of Nature in Finland. Most of the area is now in a nature reserve.

Footpath on Vaarunvuori hill

The highest point of the Vaarunvuori hill (Vaaru) is 122 m above the mean level of Lake Päijänne. The southwest part of Vaaru slopes down to the bay of Korospohjanlahti, with terraces, wooded rocky slopes and steep cliffs. The nature reserve of Vaarunjyrkkä in the middle of this slope was established in 1947 at the reguest of a landowner.

The floristic value of the district due to the nutrient-rich bedrock and favourable climate was recognized by many botanists at the end of last century. Also the fauna of the area is varied because of the long preserved wildstate: e.g. the lynx, the eagle-owl, the raven and the flying squirrel are found in the district.

The footpath on Vaarunvuori hill is about 7 km south from 62 degrees north latitude. The starting point of the path is on the western side of the road from Korpilahti to Luhanka and Joutsa via Putkilahti village. The footpath is about 4 km long and marked with yellow paint. The area is suggested or within 6 conservation programmes, e.g. Natura 2000, but most of it would have been drowned by the basin of the pump-fed power station of Imatran Voima Inc.

We regret that the texts telling about the nature of the area are written only in Finnish. There are some wet and difficult points along the path and boots are recommended as suitable footwear.

Look around you, listen and enjoy the Finnish landscape without any hurry!

• Vaaru - Alta - Vuotos comparison

Juhani Paavola, juhani.paavola4(())gmail.com

Vaarunvuori Hill Movement (1981-2000 ...)