Everyone from local residents to climate activists and politicians has tried for several years to stop peat extraction at Grimsås bog.
The Finnish peat company Neova has had a permit since 2013 to mine so-called energy peat, which is burned in heating plants, among other things. Demand for energy peat has decreased due to its high carbon dioxide emissions, but demand for agricultural peat has increased even though it also contributes to emissions.
Because of the high demand, Neova has requested a change to its permit to mine only agricultural peat, the upper layer of the bog.
The County Administrative Board writes in the decision that Neova needs to apply for a completely new permit under the Environmental Code.
