Finland's parliament has voted in favour of a 'decision in principle' to allow construction of the country's fifth nuclear reactor by a majority of 107 votes to 92 The vote was a formal ratification of an earlier decision by the government to allow an application by utility TVO, who plan to build the unit, to proceed.
TVO argued that the plant was the right choice to meet increasing power demand because the price of nuclear electricity is stable and predictable, it is eco-friendly in CO2 terms, and it avoids the need for further imports. Finland currently imports 72 per cent of its energy and would not be willing to increase that figure.
The decision means that work on construction onf the plant, which will be at Olkiluoto or Hästholmen, can now begin in earnest with the first rounds of negotiations wtih plant suppliers and initiation of the bidding process. Current estimates are for a BWR or PWR of 1000 to 1600 MW costing r1.7 to r2.5 billion.
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