Grants for contaminated areas
Content
Grants - what are they?
For what can a grant be used?
How much in grants can one get?
How to apply for a grant
Application status
Grants - what are they?
Government grants may be granted to investigate or remediate soil, groundwater or sediment contamination. Municipalities, associations or private individuals, among others, may apply for grants. Grants are the primary form of government support for investigating and remediating cases of contamination.
Grant:
- The applicant is responsible for project implementation. The government, i.e. the Finnish Supervisory Agency, contributes to payment of the project costs.
- Grants are the fastest way to get started on a project.
- How to apply for a grant
For what can a grant be used?
Discretionary government grants may be granted to investigate a health or environmental hazard or harm caused by the contamination of soil, groundwater or sediments and to remediate the contaminated area.
Grant-eligible costs include:
- planning, investigation, assessment and reporting costs of the investigation
- remediation costs and other necessary costs related to them;
- costs related to buildings or structures that are necessary for investigation or remediation.
The requirement for receiving government support is that the polluter cannot be identified or reached, or that they are unable to bear the costs. In addition, the investigation or remediation must be manifestly unreasonable for the applicant.
No government grants are awarded to:
- to the polluter
- to a municipal, association or company project that was implemented prior to applying for support (excl. the direct reports required for the application)
- to a project implemented by a private person or estate more than two years prior to applying for a grant (excl. the direct reports required for the application)
- to a project implemented due to a change in land use
- to litter removal or other similar activities not related to soil, groundwater or sediment contamination or risk thereof.
Limited support for companies
Grants may be awarded to, for example, a municipality, association, private person or company. Companies and other entities engaged in economic activities are subject to EU government support regulations, which restrict the granting of support to, inter alia, undertakings in difficulty. In addition to the Act on the Assessment of Soil Contamination and Remediation Needs (PIMA), the Act on Discretionary Government Grants also applies to matters concerning government grants.
How much in grants can one get?
The amount of government grants is influenced by the participation of other parties, the severity or likelihood of a hazard or harm, the urgency of a given project and other public funds granted. The amount is decreased by the financial benefit gained by remediation conducted by a property owner or holder or other party.
The amount of a government grant is 50% of the grant-eligible costs of the investigation and 30% of the grant-eligible costs of the remediation. A grant may cover a larger part of the costs if:
- the contamination poses a serious risk to health or the environment; or
- the costs incurred by the grant applicant are particularly unreasonable.
When determining the amount of the grant, the chosen method and its sustainability can also be taken into account. As a rule, grants may only be awarded for costs incurred after the application has been submitted. Only private persons and estates can apply for the grant retroactively for two years. The grant decision may require the applicant to contribute to implementation of the project or its costs.
Application status 21.4.2026
- A total of 8 applications have been submitted since the new application system opened on 10 March 2026.
- Four applications are currently under review, with a total requested amount of EUR 50,000.
- Four negative decisions have been issued.
A total of EUR 500,000 has been allocated for grants in 2026. The application status is updated on these pages approximately every two months.
Katso tästä kuvitteellisia esimerkkejä valtionavustuksen määrästä:
A company leased a property in an industrial area. The company declared bankruptcy and shut down its operations. When operations ended, contamination of the area was investigated and the need for limiting the contamination and planning the remediation was determined. In its current state, the property cannot be used for industrial operations in accordance with zoning. The value of properties in the area is low, and the property owner does not receive significant economic benefit from leasing the property. The owner estimates the costs of further investigation to be EUR 25,000.00.
An application for a government grant to conduct an investigation of soil contamination is submitted before the investigation commences. EUR 25,000.00 is approved as the total value of the project. Because the grant is awarded to cover 50% of the approved costs, the maximum amount of the grant is EUR 12,500.00. The grant is paid retroactively against receipts provided by the applicant.
A new water pipe is being installed at a campground. Potential contaminants are found in the soil during installation work. A sawmill had previously been located in the area, closing down in the 1960s. The current owner has not engaged in any polluting activities and the polluter cannot not be held liable because it had closed down. The owner estimates the costs of the investigation to be EUR 24,000.00.
An application for a government grant to conduct an investigation of soil contamination is submitted before the investigation commences. EUR 24,000.00 is approved as the total cost of the project for which a grant has been sought, as the costs would be particularly unreasonable for the applicant. In addition, contaminated soil may pose a serious risk to the current use of the site. Because the grant is awarded to cover 60% of the approved costs, the maximum amount of the grant is EUR 14,000.00. The grant shall be paid upon completion of the work against receipts provided by the applicant.
Soil contaminated with oil is found in a municipality during the repair of a water main. The cause of the contamination is unknown, so no polluter can be held liable. Because the contamination poses an environmental and health risk, there is a risk-based need to remediate the site. The cost estimate for remediation is EUR 60,000.00.
An application for a government grant to remediate contamination by means of soil replacement is submitted before the remediation work commences. EUR 60,000.00 is approved as the total cost of the project for which a grant has been sought. Because the grant is awarded to cover 30% of the approved costs, the maximum amount of the grant is EUR 18,000.00. The grant is paid against receipts provided by the applicant.
Contamination of soil and groundwater caused by distribution operations is found in an urban area. The operations of the general partnership ended in the 1990s with the death of the operator. The company caused the soil contamination, for which the deceased was responsible on the basis of his status as partner. Because responsibility is not transferred to the beneficiaries of the estate, the polluter cannot be held liable. Because the contamination poses an environmental and health risk, there is a risk-based need to remediate the site. A decision on the PIMA notification concerning remediation of the property was issued, and the cost estimate for remediation is EUR 310,000.00.
An application for a government grant to remediate the contaminated soil using the in-situ method is submitted before the remediation work commences. EUR 310,000.00 is approved as the total cost of the project for which a grant has been sought because the current owner of the property was not the polluter and the project costs are particularly unreasonable for the applicant Because the grant is awarded to cover 60% of the approved costs, the maximum amount of the grant is EUR 186,000.00. The grant is paid against receipts provided by the applicant.
There is a need for alteration work to be done at an active shooting range. The alteration work will improve soil and groundwater protection and increase the size of the backstop to prevent noise disturbances. Hazardous substances were found in the soil and groundwater of the shooting range areas. A PIMA notification was submitted for the alteration work. The current owner of the property has not engaged in any polluting activities, but has transferred use of the area to the shooting club. The shooting club is still in operation. The cost of remediation is estimated at EUR 160,000.00.
An application for a government grant to remediate contaminated soil is submitted before the remediation work commences. The project is described as unreasonable for a property owner that did not contaminate the soil through their own activities. In addition, the shooting club is unable to cover the costs for remediating the soil. The grant cannot be awarded because the polluter (shooting club) still exists and the shooting range is still in operation.
Webinaari: Miten PIMA-avustushaku muuttui?
PIMA-asiantuntija Päivi Turtia Lupa- ja valvontavirastosta kertoo pilaantuneiden alueiden valtionavustuksen hakemisesta ja mitä uudistuksia hakemiseen on tullut vuoden 2026 alussa. Tallenne on nauhoitettu Maaperä kuntoon -aamuwebinaarissa 19.1.2026.
00:00 Valtionavustus pilaantuneille alueille – mistä on kyse?
02:34 Kenelle ja millaisiin kustannuksiin?
09:48 Avustuksen haku – haeavustuksia.fi
10:14 Miten haku on muuttunut?
15:09 Haeavustuksia.fi-alustan esittely
17:47 Avustuksen myöntämisen perusteet
25:29 Näin haet avustusta
44:49 Webinaari päättyy
Linkki tallenteeseen:
Tutustu tarkemmin
- Valtion tuki alueiden pilaantuneisuuden selvittämiseen ja pilaantuneiden alueiden puhdistamiseen - opas lainsäädännön soveltamiseen (doria.fi)
- Laki pilaantuneiden alueiden puhdistamisen tukemisesta (finlex.fi)
- Valtioneuvoston asetus pilaantuneiden alueiden puhdistamisen tukemisesta (finlex.fi)
- Valtionavustuslaki (finlex.fi)