Finland heads for heated nuclear power debate

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Finland heads for heated nuclear power debate

HELSINKI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A controversial proposal to try to again 
win approval to build a new nuclear reactor in Finland has kicked off 
a lengthy political debate and looks set to cause friction within the 
coalition government. 

If parliament, which is divided on the issue, accepts the plan it 
would make Finland the only Western European country to expand its 
nuclear power at a time when public opinion has shifted away from 
nuclear power. 

Power group Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) on Wednesday applied for a 
permit to build a reactor that would raise the amount of nuclear-
generated electricity to 35 percent of all electricity consumed in 
Finland in 10 years' time from around 28 percent. 

"The new power plant will for its part satisfy the additional need 
for electricity and compensate power plants that are getting old and 
will be put out of use," TVO, whose main owners are energy groups and 
forestry companies, said. 

It also said it wanted to propose a fifth nuclear reactor as an 
option for Finland to reach the goals of the Kyoto protocol, which 
restricts the emission of greenhouse gases. 

Several Finnish newspapers on Thursday backed the project. 

But critics say there is already an overcapacity of electricity in 
the Nordic region and that Finland could import needed electricity 
from neighbours when it needed to. 

The Green Party, a member of the government coalition, has questioned 
the project's financing and threatened to walk out of the alliance. 

The Finnish industry's last attempt to build a fifth nuclear power 
plant was put on ice in 1986 following the catastrophe at the 
Ukranian power plant of Chernobyl, and once parliament did decide to 
vote on it in 1993 it was turned down. 

It was partly rejected due to small prospects of profitability as 
production costs exceeded the low market price. 

TVO, which operates two of Finland's four reactors, says it would 
cost between 10-15 billion markka ($1.44-$2.17 billion) to build the 
reactor and it would have it ready in 2008-2010. 

ISSUE DIVIDES PARTIES, PUBLIC 

While recent polls show that a slight majority of Finns oppose 
building a new reactor the issue still divides parties and it is 
unclear whether it would pass a parliamentary vote. 

The coalition government is also divided and as the debate takes off 
it could lead to friction in the alliance but is unlikely to cause 
the government to collapse. 

But if the issue goes to parliament, as it is expected to do, the 200 
members will be given free hands on how to vote. 

A recent poll by Finnish MTV3 television showed that 71 members of 
parliament would back the plan, 65 would vote against it, 45 were 
unsure, while 19 did not answer the survey. 

Only the Greens have said they would vote against it. The Social 
Democratics, Finland's largest party, is split on the issue while a 
majority of members of the Conservatives, the third biggest party, 
are expected to back the project. 

The coalition government includes the Social Democrats, the Greens, 
the Leftist Alliance, the Swedish People's Party, and the 
Conservatives. 

Parties will still have to watch closely reactions from both the 
Finnish public and from abroad as both Germany and Sweden are cutting 
back on nuclear power in response to public opinion. 

WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBOURS THINK? 

The fact that Finland is, unlike the last time round, an EU member 
could be a key to victory for nuclear opponents, as politicians may 
fear their partners might frown on a "yes." 

Anu Kantola, researcher at the University of Helsinki, said she 
expected Finnish politicians to be very sensitive to the views of the 
rest of the European Union. 

"One issue that will be considered is how this will look in the eyes 
of the EU," she said, pointing out that several of the countries 
building more nuclear power were ex-communist states. 

It could take two years until parliament voted on the issue and the 
government was unlikely to look at it until mid-2001. 

Politicians say that if the project fails, it would be the death 
knell for future plans to boost Finnish nuclear industry. 

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Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
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Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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