Finland Times

 

The Finance Minister, Jutta Urpilainen. Photo - Lehtikuva

Two responsible ministers of the Finnish government have made contradictory remarks regarding the evaluation process of the Fennovoima nuclear power project at Pyhäjoki in parliament.

 

While Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen said parliament should immediately reconsider the project, Minister for Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori  said the project might go on normally.

 

Talking to the Yle Television in its breakfast programme, Urpilainen, also chief of the Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party – SDP), the second biggest component of the six-party ruling alliance, said that quick disposal of the issue would help to clear the uncertainties centring the project.

 

“The issue should be considered based on the  permission, latest situation and the principles of the nuclear power plant project,” said the finance minister.

 

Fennovoima office in Helsinki. Photo - Lehtikuva

Founded in 2007, Fennovoima, one of the biggest nuclear power companies in Finland, undertook that project to set up a nuclear power station in Pyhäjoki through Russian state nuclear contractor Rosatom.

 

Minister for Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori, however, said there was nothing to hurry with regarding the decision about the plant.

 

“The matter  could be discussed in parliament after the necessary studies are comp0leted,” Vapaavuori, also a leader of the  Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), the biggest ally of the government, said in his Facebook status.

 

He also felt the necessity of bringing up the issue to parliament for discussion but said everything was still not ready. 

 

Minister for Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori. Photo - Lehtikuva

On September 18, Fennovoima submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

 

The company is preparing to build a 1,200 megawatt nuclear power plant at Pyhäjoki in Hanhikivi.

 

The proposed plant has an AES-2006 type pressurised water reactor manufactured by Rosatom of Russia.

 

Earlier,  30 Greenpeace activists from Finland, Sweden and Russia demonstrated at the Vantaa City Hall against Vantaa's participation in the Fennovoima Nuclear project. 

 

Vantaa is the fourth most populated city in Finland. 

 

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy will now organise a round of consultations on the report in line with the Act on Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure. 

 

On October 17, the ministry and Fennovoima organised a public event in Pyhäjoki where citizens gave their views, obtained information on the project and its impact on the environment. 

 

The EIA report, which was made public on September 30, will be available for public at the local government offices of Pyhäjoki and the neighbouring municipalities till November 13.

 

The study for the original EIA report was conducted from 2008-2009. On the basis of that report, the Government in 2010 made a decision-in-principle on building the plant.  

 

Economic Affairs Minister Jan Vapaavuori announced in July that the Ministry of Employment and the Economy required an updated environmental impact and safety assessments and Pyhäjoki municipality's view on the matter.