Finnish parliamentarians have approved permits for the
construction of two new nuclear power plants in the country, a move
which critics say could hurt the development of renewable energy sources
like wind even beyond Finland's borders.
Lawmakers voted on whether or not to grant a construction permit to
the energy firm Teollisuuden Voima for a plant in western Finland, where
two reactors are already operating and one is under construction. The
other permit is for the energy firm Fennivoima, which wants to build a
reactor in the northwest of the country.
But opponents of the plan say expanding Finland's nuclear energy
sector could have serious consequences not only for the environment, but
also for Finland's development of renewable energy sources, such as
wind power and electricity from biomass.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Finland has four nuclear power plants which generate about one-third of its electricity
"Finland
is already lagging behind in this development and we have very little
wind power here compared to Germany or Spain," Juha Aromaa, the
communications manager for Greenpeace Finland, told Deutsche Welle, who
added that investing money in expensive nuclear plants would take
resources away from the development of renewables.
He and others
also worry that with the new construction, Finland will begin exporting
its nuclear-generated electricity, primarily to Nord Pool, the single
financial energy market for Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
"The expansion would poison for us," Lars Aagaard, director of Danish
energy concern Dansk Energi, told Die Tageszeitung newspaper, since it
could lead to an oversupply of electricity, which in turn could drive
prices lower and make planned investments in renewable energy sources
like wind power unprofitable.
Ten years ago, when the country was discussing an expansion of its
nuclear energy program and a new plant (currently under construction),
the government unveiled an ambitious investment program for renewables.
But nearly a decade later, almost nothing has happened, say critics.
Just 0.3 percent of Finnish electricity comes from wind power.
Nuclear acceptance
Finland already has four operating nuclear power plants and the one
under construction, by the French firm Areva, is scheduled to go online
in 2013, although the project has been plagued by delays and cost
overruns. Some 30 percent of Finland's domestic electricity is generated
at its nuclear plants.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The plant in Olkiluoto is behind schedule and overbudget
When
the French-built plant goes online along with the other two being
planned, the nation's capacity to generate electricity at its nuclear
facilities will triple, possibly covering all of its electricity needs.
Just under one-half of Finns, 48 percent, have a positive attitude
toward nuclear power, according to a February poll commissioned by the
country's national industrial association, Finnish Energy Industries.
The survey found 17 percent have negative attitudes toward nuclear
energy while 29 percent were neutral.
"People consider the fact that nuclear plants do not emit carbon
dioxide," Silje Holopainen, secretary of the Finnish Nuclear Society,
told Deutsche Welle. "We are pretty far in researching how to deal with
the waste products so people don't really see it as a danger."
She dismisses the argument that nuclear expansion will hurt the development of renewable energies.
"We are developing wind energy, but I think we need many different kinds of energy production," she added.
Energy independence
The government, which has pushed hard for the granting of the
construction permits and was eager to get them approved before the
summer legislative recess, has argued that Finland's energy needs are
increasing, and that the country needs to wean itself from Russian
electricity imports, which reached a record high in 2009 and currently
make up about 15 percent of all power.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Bitter cold drives Finland's electricity consumption up
"It's
first and foremost to be able to replace Russian electricity imports,"
Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen said. "We should not be dependent on
them and there is no sense in paying Russia for electricity we could
produce ourselves."
But Greenpeace's Aromaa dismisses that argument, doubting the Finland
will ever completely stop Russian energy imports. According to him,
Russia sells Finland electricity at 25 euros per megawatt while the Nord
Pool price is 50 euros per megawatt.
He also says the government's focus on increasing energy needs is
misleading, since more and more of Finland's traditional heavy industry,
such as paper and steel production, have moved offshore as the country
moves toward an economy based on high-tech and services.
Electricity consumption in Finland is the highest in the EU and more
than double Germany's per capita use, partly due to the fact that winter
temperatures can drop to as low as minus 50 degrees Centigrade.
Author: Kyle James
Editor: Ranjitha Balasubramanyam
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5746334,00.html
