Nuclear plant application to come before Parliament this spring

Court rejects complaints against nuclear project

Matti Vanhanen

Mauri Pekkarinen

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) says that Parliament could make a decision on authorising the construction of a new commercial nuclear reactor before Midsummer.
      On Friday, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected objections against the nuclear projects of Fortum and Fennovoima.
      “This means that the government can discuss the nuclear licence in March”, Vanhanen said in Parliament on Friday.
     
Vanhanen was not surprised at the court's decision, but he did not expect it so soon. The decision had been expected to come in April, in which case the matter would have been discussed by the government in the autumn. Now the government will get the matter already in March.
      Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre Party), who will present the matter to Parliament, told the Finnish News Agency STT that he plans to bring a government proposal before Parliament already in March or April.
     
The appeal was over whether or not the local councils of Loviisa and Ruotsinpyhtää had the right to give a statement on the nuclear project, even though the municipalities have decided to merge into a single large local authority.
      The Supreme Administrative Court found that the municipalities were competent to give such statements. The ruling kept in force an earlier decision by the Helsinki Administrative Court.
     
Fennovoima has already given up on Ruotsinpyhtää as a location for the reactor, and is now concentrating on Simo and Pyhäjoki. One reason for dropping Ruotsinpyhtää from the plans was the resistance of local residents.
      Fortum is hoping to build a new reactor near its two existing ones in Loviisa. Also vying for authorisation for a new nuclear plant is TVO, which would like to build a fourth reactor in Olkiluoto, where it already has two reactors operating, and where a third one is being built.
     
There are differing views in Parliament on how many commercial nuclear reactors Finland needs. The National Coalition Party feels that all three applicants should be given the go-ahead for construction. The Centre Party and the opposition Social Democrats want more nuclear power for Finland, but have not specified how much.
      The Green League feels that Finland should not build any more nuclear reactors.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Concrete coverups and others at nuclear construction site (31.1.2010)
  New York Times highlights "cautionary tale" of Olkiluoto nuclear reactor project (29.5.2009)
  Fortum enters nuclear energy race (6.2.2009)
  Pekkarinen´s comments on nuclear power take ministry and Fennovoima by surprise (25.4.2008)

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