Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has submitted the EIA report for the Kaskinen paperboard mill in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure Act to the South Ostrobothnia Regional Economic, Transport and Environment Centre (ELY Centre). The report is open for public comment and opinion from 25.05.2023 to 21.07.2023.

The ELY Centre will make the EIA report prepared by Metsä Board available to the public for 60 days for comments and opinions starting on 25 May. During this time, the assessment report will be available on the internet at www.ymparisto.fi/kaskinenkartonkitehdasYVA and at the following locations:
• Kaskinen Town Hall and City Library
• Närpiö Town Hall and Main Library
• Kristiinankaupunki Town Hall and Library

The EIA procedure addresses the environmental impact of Metsä Board's planned paperboard mill on the existing mill site in Kaskinen. The EIA is a two-stage procedure. In the first stage, the project developer draws up an assessment programme and in the second stage, the evaluations are carried out and an assessment report is prepared.

The results of the impact assessment will be considered in the ongoing planning and decision-making process. The EIA process does not make decisions on the project but aims to provide information to support decision-making and to increase public access to information and influence.

The next public meeting on the EIA process will be held on Monday 19 June at 17.00-20.00 at Kaskinen Sports Hall, Sulkukatu 11, 64260 Kaskinen. It will also be possible to participate via Teams. The link can be found at www.ymparisto.fi/kaskinenkartonkitehdasYVA before the public event.

Metsä Board started pre-engineering for the new paperboard mill in Kaskinen in autumn 2022, which is based on fossil free production and world-class resource, production and environmental efficiency. Metsä Board estimates that a potential investment decision can be made in 2024 at the earliest.