Nuclear power has recently been in headlines in Russia. A Russian journal Vlast wrote in the beginning of February that the fire at a shipyard in Murmansk on 29 December occurred in a submarine that had nuclear warheads on board. There was a considerable risk for a catastrophe.
At the same time Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy company, announced that it intends to dig a tunnel for nuclear waste on the shore of the Gulf of Finland at Sosnovyi Bor. Although representatives of environmental associations, such as Green World chairman Oleg Bodrov, warn against environmental risks associated with the project, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) positively welcomes it.
The Eastern Bloc of Energy Supply
Nuclear power construction in Europe was in a state of stagnation for a long period after the 1986 Chernobyl accident, until in 2002 the Finnish parliament gave Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) a permit to build up a new reactor in Olkiluoto. The trend continued in 2010 when the Finnish government gave two more permissions: to TVO and Fennovoima. The new nuclear power plants will be constructed at Olkiluoto and Pyhäjoki.
Opposition against new nuclear power gained strength again in western Europe, except for France, in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima accident. Germany, Switzerland and Belgium proclaimed that they will close reactors, whereas Austria, Sweden and Italy have already earlier decoded to refrain from building new reactors on the basis of referendums.
If we look at West Europe, Finnish behaviour is exceptional. However, it does not make a big difference in comparison with East Europe and Russia. In Russia, four new reactors are being built in Sosnovyi Bor, and there is a reservation for two more reactors. One reactor is being built in Kaliningrad and the decision concerning another reactor has been made. The government in Byelorussia has made decisions upon two new reactors. Furthermore, there is a political decision that two new reactors will be built in Lithuania in place of two closed reactors.
Postponing the closure of outdated reactors is also characteristic of the eastern bloc. Russian government has continued the permits in Sosnovyi Bor, albeit at reduced reaction levels. Three reactors in Polarnye Zori, Kola Peninsula, have got decisions on continuation. However because of the pressure from the EU, two Lithuanian reactors underwent closure.
A conclusion can be drawn that Finland is currently becoming integrated with the eastern bloc in terms of energy supply. Surprisingly, the Finns have grasped the Slavic idea of greatness, where according to the ideology of the former Soviet Union, there prevails a strong belief in the human capability of controlling forces of nature and nuclear reactions.
Also, there is a common characteristic of the shortness of historical memory. For Russians, the time after Chernobyl, 25 years, corresponds to eternity. The nuclear power accidents in Harrisburg, (1979), Chernobyl and Fukushima have had far-reaching and profound consequences for political decisions made in the western countries, such as Sweden. But according to a typical Finnish way of thinking, such an accident that occurred in Fukushima is not possible.
The eastern bloc supplies, West Europe consumes
Also, when it comes to energy transmission, links with the East are being strengthened. One proof of this is an electricity transmission cable that will be placed at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland.
For many an open hearing of environmental impact assessment (EIA) of a “cable project” left unnoticed in Sosnovyi Bor on December 4, 2012. According to Green World chairman at Sosnovyi Bor, Oleg Bodrov, the EIA concerned with an underwater cable from Leningrad NPP-2 to Vyborg, which will be ready in 2014. It will be new infrastructure for electricity export to Finland. At the moment electricity supply is provided via a high voltage grid from North-West Russia. According to Bodrov, energy supply to Finland would be based on approximately one unit of LPP-2 (with reactor VVER-2 = 1200 MW).
What is more, the electricity transmission system operator in Finland, Fingrid, strengthened its power grid in the South-East of Finland, from Lappeenranta to Joroinen. In this doing, it aims at strengthening energy supply for the Helsinki metropolitan area with the excess energy being left available by closures of energy-intensive paper mills in the South-East Finland. As a curiosity, the newly strengthened power grid constitutes a geographical continuation of the high voltage grid from North-West of Russia.
Besides the fact that Russian energy will strengthen electricity supply in Finland, the countries share a common interest in electricity supply for the European market. A recently inaugurated cable connection supplies the Swedish market with electricity, whereas later on, Finns have plans to export energy to Central Europe to fill in the gap that Germany’s decision to withdraw from nuclear power will bring forth.
Rosatom has similar plans with regard to the nuclear power plants under construction in Kaliningrad and Byelorussia. Electric power provided by these plants is meant for western markets as well. In this connection, Poland is opting for a west European path: the country has no intention to build nuclear power of its own but it obviously will buy electricity supplied by the Kaliningrad nuclear power plant.
In such manner west European countries outsource the risks of nuclear power to the eastern bloc. In exchange for risks, the eastern bloc countries believe that they will secure a sampo (A Finnish epical word for a machine that generates riches). In terms of energy supply, Finland will change from a self-sufficient country into an exporter following Russian example.
A new consensus
Finns love consensual thinking – be it related to finnlandisierung, welfare state or nuclear power. Nuclear power enjoys strikingly uniform support from all societal levels: on individual, municipal as well as state level.
As nuclear power plants are being closed down everywhere in Europe due to the risks associated with them, Finland is increasing this type of energy supply along with members of the former Soviet Union. When the Finnish Energy Industries ordered a public opinion poll on nuclear power a few years ago, a half of the Finns supported it. By contrast, nowadays four fifths of Germans oppose nuclear power.
Uncritical consensus of Finns upon new nuclear power plants made Ralf Güldner, vice chairman of executive board of E.ON, major owner of Fennovoima, astonished. According to him it was unbelievable that two municipalities compete with one another for winning the location of the new Fennovoima nuclear power plant.
One can discern traits of certain determinism and confidence in authorities, which in an unexpected manner unites Finns and Russians. Reports provided by the STUK arouse feelings of trust among Finns, be they either on the safety of the planned nuclear waste deposit in Sosnovyi Bor or the quality of concrete on the Olkiluoto 3 construction site. The situation in Russia is a bit more worrying. A single state-owned company, Rosatom, takes charge of the construction of new reactors, their maintenance and nuclear safety inspections. These state authorities every now and then report heightened risks of radiation and breaches of standards in construction, but still strong confidence prevails in the institutions that in fact promote state-led energy politics. Or if thoughts of distrust sometimes preoccupy one’s mind, there is an option po-russki: just pray and hope for a miracle in case of accident.
