| Finns back nuclear | | Print | |
| Friday, 27 August 2010 | |
|
The majority of Finns support the continued use of nuclear energy in the country, a poll on attitudes to energy policy shows just as thje couintry’s government overturned a ban on new nuclear development. While public opinion of the use of wind, bioenergy and hydropower for the generation of energy has continued to be favourable throughout the years the survey has been conducted, "nuclear power and natural gas form something of an intermediate group of energy forms that are 'favoured with reservations'," the report says. "Respondents wanted to increase rather than decrease the use of these energy forms, but opinions already indicate some division. A little over two-fifths (44%) are now in favour of increasing the use of nuclear power, and a little over a quarter are in favour of decreasing it (26%)." The poll was conducted before the Finnish parliament made its decision on the number of construction licences it would issue for new reactors but shows some 54% of Finns favoured the issuance of at least one construction licence. In April, the parliament subsequently approved the issuance of two new plant licences. A majority (61%) of respondents think that the use of nuclear power is justifiable because it diminishes dependency on oil and other fossil fuels, while 23% disagree. The report says, "The environmental image of nuclear power has been improved by the discussion about the climate and the increases in the negative attitudes towards fossil fuels." Overall, 57% of Finns said that the country has had a good experience with nuclear energy, while only 12% said that it had not. Comments (0)
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
