Midnight sun at Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Station

Nuclear energy in Finland
Finish energy sources are highly diverse. Nuclear energy accounts for 27% of Finnish electricity, the largest single source. The Finnish nuclear power plants at Loviisa, Soviet designed PWRs, and Olkiluoto, Swedish designed BWRs, are among the best performing in the world. In June 2002 the Finnish Parliament ratified by 107 votes to 92 a decision in principle to proceed with a fifth reactor at one of the two existing sites.

The case for another reactor was based on economic grounds as a lower cost method of cutting continuously growing greenhouse gas emissions.  Half of the required reduction in emissions is expected to come from the expansion of nuclear capacity. Economic assessment showed that greater reliance on natural gas to reduce coal use and cut emissions would lead to a higher cost to the national economy than the nuclear alternative. They believe energy conservation has only limited potential.

Nuclear will contribute to the required growth in electricity supply, assist Finland to meet its Kyoto target of stabilising carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by 2008-2012, and avoid further energy imports from Russia which currently account for 14% of Finland's electricity supply. It was suggested that the new unit would be based on internationally available light water reactor with an electrical output of 1000-1600MW.

The decision on a final waste repository was an important factor in influencing the vote on the fifth reactor. The state provides no guarantees or subsidies to the nuclear operators, and regards the new reactor as an industrial project, not a policy issue.

Nuclear waste management in Finland
Spent nuclear fuel is currently in interim storage in water pools at the power station sites - the group visited the interim storage ponds on their tour of the Olkiluoto site. Interim storage will last several decades until final disposal at a depth of about 500m beneath the Olkiluoto bedrock. Final disposal of spent fuel from both nuclear sites will begin in 2020. The repository will take the spent fuel from the operation and decommissioning of the existing 4 reactors and the planned fifth reactor, to be finally closed in 2100.

(left to right) David Wild (Nirex), Mr Ammala (Posiva), Tam Dalyell MP, Bill Tynan MP (all-party group chair)

The final decision on the disposal programme in principle was given by Government in December 2000, and ratified by the Parliament in May 2001, with 159 votes in favour and 3 against, after 20 years of research and site and safety investigations.

Preparation for construction will take until 2010. The waste management company, Posiva will then be in a position to apply for a construction licence, and, after construction that is scheduled to end in 2020, for a licence to operate.

A programme of consultation, and the development of good relations with the media, and with national and local politicians from an early stage in the project were essential. In the event there was strong political and public support for a repository. There appears to be a firm acknowledgement that the waste exists and needs to be dealt with responsibly by the generation that created the waste, and that has benefited from the electricity generated.

Local opinion
At the end of their visit the group met representatives of the local community, including two local MPs, who outlined some of the national and local considerations that had influenced the decision in favour of the new reactor. Clearly, the local economic benefits that TVO and Posiva brought to a relatively poor municipality, and the familiarity of the local population with nuclear technology, were major positive influences. There had been opposition both locally and in Parliament, frequently backed up by opponents from abroad, including the UK, who descended on Finland to demonstrate their opposition. This intervention was resented in some quarters, and may have backfired. As one of the representatives said, "We do not come over to Britain to tell you how to brew beer." The change in the media's attitude since 1993 had also helped.

A frequent refrain from the British MPs throughout the visit was to contrast the situation in the UK on nuclear issues where emotion and confrontation dominate the debate with the well modulated and broadly consensual approach to those issues that prevails in Finland.

Since returning from Finland, the group have held meetings on underpinning UK Government policy on nuclear energy and on the NDA draft Bill, and will visit the Sellafield nuclear site in November.  They mean to look further into the sector skills question and are entertaining the option of a Brussels briefing sometime in the New Year.  They are also exploring the possibility of a future visit to the United States Department of Energy in Washington DC, including tours of the US nuclear sites.