Net-zero industry projects
The Finnish Supervisory Agency serves as the single point of contact referred to in the Net-Zero Industry Act. We provide advice on administrative procedures required for net-zero projects and coordinate overall permit-granting processes relating to them, for example by drawing up a detailed schedule for the processing of matters and monitoring the time limits set for the processing.
Net-zero refers to a situation where greenhouse gas emissions emitted into and removed from the atmosphere are balanced. The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) aims to ensure that the EU rapidly builds more manufacturing capacity for the technologies, equipment and components needed to produce carbon-neutral energy.
Net-zero projects include
- net-zero technology manufacturing projects producing final products classified as net-zero technologies or specific components used in their production, or machinery primarily associated with their production
- CO2 storage or CO2 capture and transport relating to it
- energy-intensive industry decarbonisation projects that are part of the supply chain of a net-zero technology and that reduce emission rates of CO2-eq of industrial processes significantly and permanently.
Net-zero technologies include
- solar technologies, including PV, solar thermal electric and solar thermal technologies
- onshore wind and offshore renewable technologies
- battery and energy storage technologies
- heat pumps and geothermal energy technologies
- hydrogen technologies, including electrolysers and fuel cells
- sustainable biogas and biomethane technologies
- CCS technologies
- electricity grid technologies, including electric charging technologies for transport and technologies to digitalise the grid
- nuclear fission energy technologies, including nuclear fuel cycle technologies
- sustainable alternative fuels technologies
- hydropower technologies
- other renewable energy technologies, including osmotic energy technologies, ambient energy technologies (other than heat pumps), biomass technologies, landfill gas technologies, sewage treatment plant gas technologies
- energy system-related energy efficiency technologies, including heat grid technologies
- renewable fuels of non-biological origin technologies
- biotech climate and energy solutions
- transformative industrial technologies for decarbonisation
- CO2 transport and utilisation technologies
- wind propulsion and electric propulsion technologies for transport, including wind propulsion technologies and electric propulsion technologies
- other nuclear technologies.
The Annex to the Net-Zero Industry Act contains a list of final products and components considered to be primarily used for the production of net-zero technologies. Net-zero technology projects may include the production of heat pumps, biomass pelleting machines or electric vehicle charging devices.
The list of final products and components in the Net-Zero Industry Act is not exhaustive. The primary use of a machine or a component determines whether the manufacturing project can be considered a net-zero project. Contact us if you need help identifying a net-zero project.
See below for a few examples of final products and components produced in net-zero projects:
- solar glass, solar cell modules
- onshore and offshore wind turbines, blades, towers
- batteries, battery materials, battery management systems
- heat pumps, heat pump compressors
- hydrogen storage tanks, transmission pipes, electrocatalysts
- fermentation tanks, equipment, enzymes and catalysts for biogas production
- water turbine systems, large valves for hydropower plants
- carbon dioxide compressors, solvents for carbon dioxide capture
- electricity transmission and distribution cables, transformers, electric vehicle chargers
- nuclear fission plants, reactor pressure vessels and internal components, safety systems
- energy management systems, building automation systems
- electric boilers for industrial use, light arc and submerged arc furnaces.
Strategic net-zero projects
A net-zero project can be designated a strategic project, in which case stricter processing times will apply to permit processes and other administrative procedures required for it.
The status of a net-zero strategic project can be obtained by a project that contributes to achieving the objectives set out in the Net-Zero Industry Act and that meets at least one of the criteria below. For example, A 1 or B 2.
A) The project adds manufacturing capacity in the Union for a net-zero technology,
- for which the Union depends for more than 50 % on imports coming from third countries
- which has significant impact on the climate or energy objectives of the Union
- of which the Union’s manufacturing capacity represents a significant share of world production and which plays a crucial role in the resilience of the Union.
B) The project has a clear positive impact on the Union’s net-zero industry by providing access to new or best available technology, and the project
- puts into place measures to attract, retain, upskill or reskill a workforce required for net-zero technologies
- contributes to the competitiveness of SMEs as part of the supply chain of net-zero technologies.
C) The project manufactures net-zero technologies through practices that implement improved environmental sustainability and performance or circularity features, including comprehensive low-carbon, energy, water or material efficiency and practices that significantly and permanently reduce emission rates of CO2-eq.
The status of a net-zero strategic project can also be granted to a CO2 storage project or a related CO2 capture or transport infrastructure project.
The CO2 storage project has to meet all of the following criteria:
- The CO2 storage site is located in the territory of the Union, its exclusive economic zones or on its continental shelf.
- The CO2 storage project contributes to reaching the Union’s CO2 storage capacity objective.
- The CO2 storage project has applied for a permit for the safe and permanent geological storage of CO2.
See the Net-Zero Industry Act for a detailed description of the preconditions for obtaining a strategic status.
Processing times for strategic net-zero projects are shorter than for other net-zero projects. In the consideration of permits, they are always deemed to involve a public interest and can be considered to involve an overriding public interest, which makes it possible to deviate from the environmental objectives of river basin management and the protection of a Natura 2000 site.
As a rule, net-zero projects with strategic status are given priority in environmental and water permit procedures at the Finnish Supervisory Agency without a separate application. For a strategic net-zero project deemed a green transition project, priority must be applied for in a regular process, and a ‘do no significant harm’ report must be attached to the application. Examples of such projects include the production of battery materials or carbon capture. Prioritised environmental and water permit matters are dealt urgently in a court of appeal.
The status of a strategic project does not affect the preconditions for granting a permit or permit regulations. This status does also not undermine the level of environmental protection or the quality of the environmental assessments required to carry out the projects.
You can apply for a strategic status for your project in the European Union’s common application system. The application must include:
- an assessment of the fulfilment of the strategic status criteria
- a business plan, and
- an estimated implementation schedule for the project.
The decision on recognition as a strategic project is made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Please note that the single point of contact must be notified of the application for and decision on strategic status.
Apply for a strategic status for a net-zero project in the EU portal.
Overall permit-granting process for net-zero projects
The overall permit-granting process covers all permits and administrative procedures necessary for the construction, extension, conversion and operation of a net-zero technology production project or a strategic net-zero project. They may include the environmental impact assessment, environmental and water permits, chemicals and grid connection permits as well as building permit. Zoning and appeal processes for the project are not included in the overall permit-granting process.
We will prepare a detailed schedule for the overall permit-granting process in cooperation with the relevant authorities and the party responsible for the project. We will draw up the schedule within two months of the first application of the project being submitted or when notice of the environmental impact assessment report has been published. We will update the schedule if necessary. We will publish the schedules on this page. See the end of this page for the schedules.
The time limits for net-zero projects are as follows:
- 12 months if the yearly manufacturing capacity is less than 1 GW.
- 18 months if the yearly manufacturing capacity is 1 GW or more.
- 18 months if the manufacturing capacity is not measured in GW.
The time limits for strategic net-zero projects are as follows:
- 9 months if the yearly manufacturing capacity is less than 1 GW.
- 12 months if the yearly manufacturing capacity is 1 GW or more.
- 12 months if the manufacturing capacity is not measured in GW.
- 18 months for a CO2 storage site.
The calculation of the time limit begins when the authority handling the matter has determined that the first permit application contains adequate information for processing the matter or when a notice of the environmental impact assessment report has been published. The calculation of the time limit ends when the authority processing the matter issues a decision on the last matter of the permit procedure. Zoning and appeal processes for the project are not included in the time limit calculation.
If an environmental impact assessment is required for a project, the calculation of the time limit for the overall permit-granting process begins when a notice of the environmental impact assessment report is published. If the assessment needs to be supplemented after the notice has been published, the period between the deadline for submitting the supplement and its submission is not included in the duration of the single permit granting procedure.
The authority handling the matter may request an extension of the time limit if it appears that the matter cannot be dealt with within the time limit set for it. The request must be justified. We will make a decision on extending the time limit.
The time limit can be extended
- by three months if the nature, complexity, location or size of the project so requires
- by six months if the project involves exceptional risks to the health and safety of workers or of the general population.
Grounds for extending the time limit could include unforeseen circumstances giving rise to a need to add to or complement environmental assessments related to the project.
If we extend the time limit, we will notify the project promoter. We will also attach to the notification the grounds for the decision and an estimate of when the matter will be decided. A decision on extending the time limit cannot be appealed.
For a net-zero project, several different permits and administrative procedures may be required, depending on the nature and scale of the project. A large-scale net-zero project may, for example, require an environmental impact assessment procedure, an environmental permit and a building permit. You can also visit Suomi.fi for information about the permits and obligations associated with a project. In issues concerning the details of the permit application, you may contact the authority dealing with the matter.
Appeals and dispute settlement procedures
A decision made by the authority processing the matter may be appealed, or an administrative review can be requested, in compliance with the applicable legislation. Appeal instructions are attached to decisions.
Various dispute resolution procedures can be used to resolve potential conflicts, for example in the early stages of a project. Dispute resolution is voluntary and will go ahead subject to agreement between the party responsible for the project and the other parties to the dispute.
Contact information
E-mail: [email protected]
Customer service for environmental affairs
Service form: (link coming)
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +358 295 256 920 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)