Looking for cheap and abundant power: Business, government and nuclear energy in Finland

Abstract

Nuclear energy is a particularly regulated and politicised part of energy production. In this article, we analyse how private companies have promoted their interests in this challenging sector. We focus on the case of Finland, where manufacturing industries have regarded cheap and abundant power as a key component of their business strategies. From the 1950s onwards, nuclear energy seemed a particularly attractive option, as Finland had few alternative power sources. However, private companies faced opposition from a number of actors. They included the Soviets, who were eager to sell their reactors, while the Finns wanted to buy Western ones; centrist and left-wing politicians, who favoured state-controlled options; and finally, the environmental movement, which from the 1980s onwards opposed the construction of all new reactors. Politicians rejected proposals for a fifth nuclear reactor until the industrialists learned to present the reactor as a ‘green’ project, which would reduce carbon dioxide emissions.