Nuclear power as part of the Finnish electricity supply

Finland has very limited energy resources of its own and is a country with a cool climate and energy-intensive industries. Safe, reliable, cost-effective energy supplies are of great importance to the country. Accordingly, energy is being used efficiently in Finland, and all available energy sources are exploited. Energy imports amount to a very large share of 72%. Roughly one third of the electricity requirement is met by domestic energy sources. The share of nuclear power is 26%. Over the past few years, imports met between 10 and 15% of the electricity requirement. As a consequence of the steadily rising electricity requirement, an increase from today's level of approx. 85 TWh to approx. 112 TWh in 2015 is forecast. This can be met only in part by increases in efficiency and expansions of existing capacities, respectively. For more than twenty-five years, nuclear power has been a reliable component of Finland's electricity supply. Since the mid-1980s, there have been plans to add to the existing generating capacity. In 2000, the TVO corporation filed an application with the government for construction of a new nuclear power plant. In January 2002, the government expressed itself in favor of the new plant, and in May 2002, parliament ratified the plans. This phase was followed by the tendering procedure for the construction of a light water reactor with a maximum thermal power of 4 300 MW. Four bids for boiling water and pressurized water reactors were submitted by Atomstroyexport, General Electric, and Framatome ANP. In October 2003, TVO decided in favor of the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) offered by Framatome ANP and Siemens AG as the preferred bid. The contract was signed in December 2003. Once the new nuclear power plant has been commissioned as planned towards the end of this decade, some 35% of the Finnish electricity requirement will be met by, then, five plants. (orig.)