Kemijoki: Seeing the future

Описание: The river Kemijoki is the most magnificant river in Finland, previously famous for its large salmon catches. Now river Kemijoki is almost totally harnessed to produce hydroelecticity. There are five large hydropower plants in the main river stretching from the sea to the city of Rovaniemi. Four of them are owned by Kemijoki corporation.

The river Kemijoki still flows unharnessed for 50 kilometers between Vanttauskoski and the city of Rovaniemi, where it is joined by the entirely unharnessed tributory, river Ounasjoki. The construction of a hydropower plant in Sierilä has been planned by Kemijoki corporation since the 1950’s. Now the corporation intends to realize the constuction.

Some 25 kilometres of free river would be drowned by the dam pool, destroying the stream sections, sand dunes and shoreline meadows. The hydropower plant dam would be build between the banks of cape Petäjäniemi to the shore of cape Sieriniemi. Water levels would raise by seven meters upstream from the dam.
This scenery would be converted into a dam pool. Through cape Sieriniemi, a canal would be dug, including the actual hydropower plant. The meander behind the cape would dry up.

The construction of Sierilä hydropower plant is not necessary. A piece of the free flowing river Kemijoki, its culture and its threathened nature, must be preserved as a gift to future generations.

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www.sll.fi/vapaakemijoki
www.vesivoimanluonto.fi
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This video is also available in Finnish:    • Pala vapaata Kemijokea - lahja tuleville s...