3.09.2004 Olkiluoto, Western Finland

Today more than a hundred antinuclear activists demarcated the Olkiluoto peninsula in Satakunta as a sign of an area infected by the nuclear disease. Activists in yellow t-shirts and respiratory masks entered the area on bicycles to erect the signs and cordon off the area warning about the disease. The information centre maintained by the nuclear company TVO (Teollisuuden Voima) was also overtaken by climbers equipped with a banner saying “Nuclear madness info centre – www.olkiluoto.info”. The banner refers to the newly opened website , which offers accurate information about the building of the fifth nuclear reactor. The site provides information in English, Finnish and Swedish.

“The Finnish nuclear disease has developed into alarming proportions. A big proportion of the population in Finland has already been blinded by it and now it is attacking and destroying the remains of the Finnish climate policy. We isolated one of the infected spots today, but the ministry of trade and industry remains to be secluded”, said Tuuli Kaskinen who takes part in the demonstrations in Olkiluoto.

Before the parliament decided to build the fifth nuclear reactor there was a widespread consensus and a joint understanding that climate change was the most pressing environmental threat facing us today. In May 2002, after the parliament had given a go ahead to build the fifth reactor, the pro nuclear lobby all of a sudden started a campaign to hamper the carbon emissions trade in the EU. Some politicians have since even demanded Finland to withdraw from the Kyoto protocol.

“When the parliament gave green light for the fifth nuclear reactor, the condition was that the government agrees to invest forcefully in renewable energy. Now two years have passed and the promises to support the renewable energy have been scrapped while tax reductions for burning peat have been given. The government is apparently also suffering from the nuclear disease”, Elina Turunen from Luonto-Liitto said.

“The construction work for the fifth nuclear reactor is already underway and the government is prepared to sign the construction permit despite the fact that the EPR-reactor (European Pressurized Reactor) doesn’t meet the demands set by the Finnish Nuclear Safety Agency. At the same time, the pressure vessel to the Finnish reactor is being produced in Japan without any approval by the Finnish Nuclear Safety Agency, Lauri Myllyvirta from the Friends of the Earth said.

In today’s demonstration participate activists from the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Luonto-Liitto, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Women for Peace, The Youth Association at the Left Alliance and the Green Youth Association.


For additional information, please contact:
Lauri Myllyvirta, Friends of the Earth, +358503625981
Tuuli Kaskinen, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, +358505149752
Elina Turunen, Luonto-Liitto, +358405413677
Kaisa Kosonen, Greenpeace, +358503688488