The limestone quarry in Slite on Gotland faced the threat of a cross stop in October because the Supreme Land and Environmental Court rejected the company Cementa's application for a new 20-year permit.

On Tuesday, the government announced that it wants to give Cementa the opportunity to mine limestone for another eight months through temporary amendments to the Environmental Code.

Need long-term

Cementa's sustainability manager Karin Comstedt Webb believes that the government's message is a step in the right direction, but that the solution is too short-term.

- This is not an answer to the whole supply challenge for the cement industry that we see in Sweden, but then we need to see further information from politics, she says.

The Supreme Land and Environmental Court considered that Cementa had provided a substandard environmental impact statement.

However, the company itself claims that it does not compromise the local environment but on the contrary helps to preserve several of the sensitive environmental types that exist on Gotland.

- The heavy climate investments that are in the order of several billion that we want to make in the factory in the coming years require a long-term perspective, says Karin Comstedt Webb.

May affect water supply

Another current issue is how cement production affects the groundwater on Gotland.

The Supreme Land and Environmental Court ruled that the company's application lacked an acceptable analysis of how groundwater is affected.

In an opinion, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has also written that Cementa's field measurements have not been sufficient,

But Cementa believes that in its production it can influence the water situation on Gotland in a positive direction.

- The operation means that we can collect significant amounts of water in the form of precipitation from the winter months and save it for the summer months.

In this way, we will be able to contribute to the availability of drinking water significantly greater during the summer, says Karin Comstedt Webb.