Finland on a wrong track

As the government representatives from 154 countries gather to Bonn to discuss about concrete actions to chart the way towards an expansion of renewable energies worldwide, Finland's two biggest environmental NGOs warn countries of a climate policy that relies on new nuclear power. — The example of Finland shows how a decision to build more nuclear undermines all the efforts made on energy effiency and renewables, says Kaisa Kosonen, the energy campaigner of Greenpeace Finland. — Finland's energy policy as a whole is now on a much more unsustainable path than it was still before the political decision in May 2002.

Finland is the only western country where climate policy is based on building additional nuclear power. Before the decision to build a fifth nuclear reactor was taken by the Finnish Parliament in May 2002, environmental organisations warned about the consequenses of this kind of ”climate policy”. The root cause of climate change would remain unsolved. Investments on renewable energy and energy savings would suffer. The lifetime of coal fired plants would be extended, emissions would increase compared to alternative energy strategies, and Finland would be a very harmful example to the rest of the world. In other words, energy policy would continue to be based on ”business as usual”, no real change would take place, and consumption and emissions would grow.

The first signs of these consequenses can now be seen. Many of those who, at the time of the nuclear decision, were worried about climate change, have now turned into opponents of the Kyoto protocol and the EU emissions trading scheme.

The Finnish Parliament took a decision to promote energy saving methods as a ”by-product” of the new nuclear power plant. This decision turned out to be probably the biggest failure in the history of Finnish environment policy. Very soon, it occurred that there would be no common will to promote efficient energy saving measures along with the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

Before the decision was taken by the Finnish Parliament, the pro-nuclear block argued that the new nuclear power plant would replace the use of coal. As a result, the Parliament took also the decision to set ”controlled” limits to the use of coal. Afterwards, the power sector raised a furious campaign against this decision.

Compared to many other countries, Finland has a very modest target for wind power: 500 megawatts by 2010. At the end of last year, it had reached 51 megawatts, so even this modest target will be difficult to achieve.

Without a new nuclear power plant, Finland would be a remarkable builder of wind power: it has a major market share of windmill products in Europe. Unfortunately, very little of this know-how has been used in the domestic market. The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and Greenpeace Finland call on the international community to place a new emphasis on the development and use of renewable energy sources. At the renewables' summit in Bonn, the world's decison-makers should reconsider their energy policies and refrain from building additional nuclear power plants.

Finland, which consumes more natural resources per capita than any other country in the world, has a responsibility to take a lead in the development of renewable energies. New investments in the nuclear sector will only enhance excessive consumption patterns, which — if applied at a global level — is bound to lead to an environmental, social and economic impasse.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

• Kaisa Kosonen, energy coordinator, Greenpeace Finland, tel: +358-50-368 8488
• Sirkka Tepponen , specialist on renewable energy sources, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, sirkka.tepponen@sll.fi, tel: +358-40-7364264.