On August 10, 2021, due to the extraordinary circumstances, Swedish government has granted extension of the mining permit for 8 months on Gotland limestone deposit used for the production of cement at the Cementa plant in Slit, Gotland. This was announced during a press conference by the Swedish Minister for Climate and Environment, Per Bolund.
“This is an extraordinary situation in which we find ourselves, and it requires extraordinary measures,” the minister stressed.
The government has announced that it will make temporary changes to the environmental code to keep the Gotland plant operating. If the Swedish authorities had not done this, the country would then have faced a huge shortage of cement and, as a result, the risks of a large-scale halt in the construction of buildings and infrastructure in Sweden. This would have serious consequences for the economy and employment of the population of the country.
“This means that the current permit will be extended further,” said Bolund.
Previously adopted decree provided for the suspension of cement production at the Cementa plant from November 1, 2021.
