A Finnish energy company wants to build a nuclear power plant along the Botnia Bay. Local authorities in neighboring Sweden consider the analysis of the project's environmental consequences to be insufficient.
The Finnish energy company Fennovoima Oy wants to build a nuclear power plant in the Botnia Bay, close to the Swedish border. The company has made an analysis of the project's environmental consequences, but this has been met with criticism and distrust from locals. Municipal authorities in the Swedish town of Luleå consider the analysis to be “lacking objectivity”.
The study claims that in case of an accident, the radioactive fallout would affect areas within a radius of 200-300 kilometres from the reactor. The Chernobyl accident, Luleå authorities say, showed that fallout can harm areas much further away. The study also fails to consider consequences of a possible accident or leakage during transportation of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste to and from the plant. The plan is to use boats for this transport.
Fennovoima Oy mentions Simo, Pyhäjoki or Strömfors as possible locations for the new power plant. The first two places are situated respectively 100 and 150 kilometres from Luleå.