Signs of growth in the industry

Full scale of methods in use - long-term work is the basis. Long-term work in communication has been proved to be an excellent basis for a nuclear power company. Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO), which has been producing electricity by nuclear power for the Finnish society for 23 years, bears its responsibilities for environmental issues and as member of society. Maintaining good relations to the local municipalities and reporters is one of our strengths. Nuclear power is a way to produce electricity in an environmentally friendly, safe and economical way. TVO, as a modem nuclear power company, acknowledges its responsibilities for the environment and the entire society. In dealing with these responsibilities, a culture of effective, open and honest communication is crucial. The concept of our communication work was already laid down in the 70's We do our best to inform our neighbours and interest groups openly about all that happens at Olkiluoto NPP. We do not only tell the good news, we also tell if there are any problems, e.g. in the production. We apply several different methods to allow everyone to choose their favourite way of finding the information they want. We produce annual publications and videos, organise visits to the plant, participate in fairs and have an up-to-date www-site. A lot of information is available and the doors are open for visitors. Annually, we produce almost 60 publications, e.g. magazines, newspapers, environmental and economical reports and different kinds of brochures. A lot of people visit Olkiluoto NPP - we receive about 16,000 guests each year. We have four basic arguments in our messages to promote the new NPP unit: it covers additional electricity demand and replaces old fossil-fuel power plants, it enables Finland to meet the Kyoto commitments, it secures a stable and predictable electricity price and reduces the dependency on imported electricity. All these messages are included in the printing materials and www-sites, as well as the many presentations the TVO representatives are having around the country. The opinion polls show that at this very moment a small majority of Finns are in favour of a new NPP unit, if it enables the Kyoto commitments to be met. Most people know the advantages that nuclear power offers, including the benefits within the climate change issues. (author)