Environment committee votes against permits for new nuclear plants

Nine-to-eight vote not necessarily end of story

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In a narrow vote, the Environment Committee of the Finnish Parliament took a stand on Tuesday against authorising the construction of any new commercial nuclear reactors.
      In a 9 to 8 vote, the committee decided to recommend that the proposed licences for the construction of a nuclear facility by TVO and by Fennovoima, which were endorsed by the government, should be rejected.
      The committee instead recommended that energy decisions should emphasise saving energy and improving energy efficiency. The use of renewable sources should also be increased.
     
In Tuesday’s vote, committee members of the Green League and the Swedish People’s Party, and some representing the Centre Party and the Social Democrats, voted against the new nuclear facilities. All members of the National Coalition Party remained loyal to the government’s decision, and voted yes.
      The view of the committee does not mean the demise of the proposal to allow the two new reactors to be built. It is simply a statement, which the committee is passing to the Commerce Committee.
      Parliament will vote on July 1st on the government’s proposal to grant the nuclear construction licences on the basis of a statement by the Commerce Committee.
     
The matter has such wide-reaching implications that the political parties do not impose party discipline in the matter, allowing their MPs to vote freely according to their consciences.
      Environment Committee chair Susanna Huovinen (SDP) said that the vote in the committee “could have gone either way”.
      However, she feels that the decision sends the message to wavering MPs that it is possible to reach a conclusion other than one of support for nuclear energy.
      “An interesting question is what Members of Parliament will do who support the construction of one new unit”, Huovinen wondered on Tuesday.
     
The split among committee members of the Centre Party was seen as “unusual” by Sanna Perkiö (National Coalition Party).
      One of those voting against more nuclear energy was Timo Kaunisto, who was recently elected as a vice chairman of the Centre Party.
      “The Centre can no longer cherry-pick, when the matter at hand is a carefully thought-out whole, in which the nuclear licences and the promotion of renewable energy are equally central parts. The will of the Centre Party congress apparently is not binding even on Members of Parliament who are part of the party’s leadership”, Perkiö said in a press release.
      She emphasised that Finnish industry will need reliable and inexpensive electricity in the future as well.
     
Green committee member Timo Juurikkala was pleased with the decision.
      “The committee voted for the future. The majority of the committee feels that the emphasis should be on renewable energy, the development of dispersed energy production, saving energy, and energy efficiency”, Juurikkala said in his press release.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Parliament to decide on new nuclear power plants on July 1st (20.5.2010)
  Critics of nuclear energy in Parliament call for more clarity on waste problem (19.5.2010)
  Government endorses two new nuclear reactors (22.4.2010)

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