Climate activist group Elokapina held a protest outside the Naistenlahti district heating plant in Tampere on Monday.
Police detained 12 people on suspicion of violating public peace, while some are also suspected of obstructing an official. In total, several dozen protesters were present at the site.
Violating public order can result in a fine or a prison sentence of up to six months.
Police said Elokapina protesters blocked freight access to the Naistenlahti plant. They added that the demonstration is not otherwise disrupting traffic, apart from minor impacts on pedestrian and bicycle routes.
Police said Elokapina protesters blocked freight access to the Naistenlahti plant, but added the demonstration is not otherwise disrupting traffic in the area, other than minor disruptions to light traffic.
Elokapina described the Tampere demonstration on its website as a "mass infrastructure blockade" targeting industrial facilities to protest polluting industries.
Earlier this month, the climate group held a three-day protest in Helsinki demanding that the government end excessive logging, protect biodiversity, and eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies, among other actions.
CEO of Tampereen Energia, Jussi Laitinen, said the protest has only a minor impact on operations at the facility.
The Naistenlahti plant is currently in summer downtime, with reduced operations and around 40 employees on site.
Laitinen said the company was informed of the protest a few days in advance.
“We were able to prepare for it,” Laitinen said.
Edit note: Article was updated at 15:52 to reflect the police's updated figures on number of detainees from the protest.
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