Finland nuclear power expansion gains in poll
Date: 20-May-02
Country: FINLAND
The Gallup poll, published less than a week before the parliament votes on the issue, showed that 54 percent approved construction of a fifth reactor, as long as other energy sources were also expanded.
That represented a sharp rise from January, when 40 percent supported the proposal in another Gallup poll.
The parliament is believed to be narrowly in favour of expanding nuclear power, despite a trend among European Union nations in recent years to seek energy alternatives to such reactors.
The five-party coalition government, which includes the anti-nuclear Green Party, has said the best way to meet both Finland's rising energy demands and its obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto protocol was to build the country's first new reactor for more than two decades.
Supporters said a key reason for Finland's determination to push ahead was its desire to be more self-sufficient and reduce reliance on imports, particularly from Russia.
According to the poll conducted from April 29 to May 5, three-quarters of Finns opposed too much reliance on Russian energy, and 58 percent said it was better to expand nuclear power than import electricity from their huge neighbor.
Opponents of nuclear energy believe that health and environmental risks of nuclear generation are excessive, so other energy sources should be favoured. The parliament rejected a proposal to expand nuclear power generation in 1993.
Finland has four nuclear reactors at two installations, supplying about 30 percent of total electricity needs. It has no oil or gas of its own.
More than 1,600 Finns took part in the poll, which was conducted by the Gallup polling company and published by the Finnish news agency STT.
