Paavo Lipponen

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Background

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland. He was the Chairman of the Finnish Social Democratic Party from 1993 to 2005 and the Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003.

Anti-Nuclear Activists are Fundamentalists

Lipponen claims he is not essentially pro-nuclear. However, he says that: “Nuclear energy is being discriminated against. Its objectors demonstrate fundamentalist attitudes.” He has also claimed that Europe runs the risk of becoming a “fossil monster” if it renounces nuclear energy.

Europe Needs to Embrace Nuclear

In 2002, he argued that Europe had to change its energy policy and embrace nuclear power. "The EU needs new nuclear power reactors," he argued. Lipponen claimed that the 1992 decision by G7 leaders to call for the closure of Soviet-type reactors discriminated in particular against central European states such as Slovakia, which he described as "a leading country in nuclear power technology”. He added For many applicant nations, nuclear power generators are a significant economic asset".

Finland Builds a 5th Reactor - now Needs a 6th

That same year – 2002 – Lipponen was the Finnish Prime Minister when its parliament voted narrowly (107 votes to 92) to approve a fifth nuclear reactor in the country - Olkiluoto 3 - which was the first such decision in western Europe for more than a decade. By the end of 2006, Olkiluoto 3 was 12 months and Euros 3 billion over budget.

Despite these setbacks, Lipponen has since been quoted in the press as saying that Finland needs a 6th nuclear reactor. "Attaining the goals of the Kyoto protocol on climate change would not have been possible without the fifth nuclear power station. The goals that are to be set after 2012 cannot by reached without a sixth one," said Lipponen in 2006.

Will not Become a Nuclear Lobbyist

When Lipponen confirmed he would retire in 2007, he denied rumours that he was going to be an energy lobbyist. Speaking at British Nuclear Energy Society’s TopNux event 2006 event he said: “There is no truth to these rumours. I am about to retire”.

But is Using the Same Language as the Nuclear Lobbyists

In January 2007, Lipponen gave a speech on the “Future of Nuclear Energy in Europe” in Warsaw. Sections of his speech are almost identical to FORATOM’s official policy documents.

• Example One:

Lipponen - “The use of nuclear power in the EU25 contributes by saving about 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of the whole private car fleet in Europe”.

FORATOM – “Today, the use of nuclear electricity in the EU25 contributes by saving nearly 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of the whole private European car fleet”.

• Example Two:

Lipponen – “As part of the process of developing the Action Plan for Spring European Council in 2007, continued stakeholder consultation is essential. For this purpose, the establishment of a European Nuclear Forum suggested by Members of European Parliament to the Commission is a good idea. Similar forums already exist for electricity, gas and oil”.

FORATOM – “As part of the process of developing the Action Plan, continued stakeholder consultation is essential and, with this in mind, Members of the European Parliament and the nuclear industry have suggested to the EC the establishment of a European Nuclear Forum along the same lines as the Florence, Madrid and Berlin fora that were established for electricity, gas and oil respectively. We look forward to continued participation with the relevant European institutions in the debate over EU energy policy”.

• Example Three:

Lipponen - "At present, low-CO2 energy sources supply 21 percent of EU25 primary energy consumption. Nuclear is by far the most important contributor (15 percent), before biomass (4 percent) and hydropower (1,5 percent). Thus, maintaining nuclear share in EU25 electricity generation mix is essential, if the EU wants to give itself low-CO2 energy strategic objectives. In the Annex of the Green Paper on Energy, European Commission estimated that electricity production in EU25 will amount to nearly 4500 TWh (terawatthours) in 2030. The present share on nuclear power is 31 percent".

"In order to maintain this share, 1400 TWh of nuclear power should be generated in Europe by 2030. We must take into account that some of the older reactor units that were built before 1980, will be shut down by 2030. Replacing the missing generating capacity and meeting the forecast increase of electricity demand while keeping the share of nuclear power at the present level, will require building 3000 MW (megawatt) of new nuclear power every year before 2030".

FORATOM – "EU25 requires major nuclear new build … Specifically, the EU and Member States must encourage a positive investment climate for the energy sector, promoting security of supply, if it is to compete successfully in the world’s economy. At present, low-CO2 energy sources supply 21% of EU25 primary energy consumption".

"Nuclear is by far the major contributor (15%), before biomass (4%) and hydro (1.5%). Thus, maintaining nuclear share in EU25 electricity generation mix is essential if the EU wants to give itself low-CO2 energy strategic objectives. According to the European Commission (Annex to the Green Paper on Energy) the share of electricity production for the EU25 in 2030 will amount to nearly 4 500 TWh".

"With this assumption, 38 nuclear reactors, totalling 25 GW, currently operating in the EU25, which were built before 1980, will shut down by 2030. Building a nuclear reactor is an approximately 10 year process from application to power production. Replacing the missing generating capacity and meeting the forecast increase of electricity demand while keeping the share of nuclear generated electricity will require building 3 GW of new nuclear capacity per year before 2030".

Abusing His Office?

After his speech, Finland's opposition Green League Party acccused Lipponen of "abusing his office" by becoming a spokesman for the nuclear power industry.

And is Friends with WNA

John Ritch, the Director General, World Nuclear Association calls Lipponen, a “personal friend”. ^[1] “When we were both much younger, Paavo Lipponen was a frequent visitor to Washington as part of an exchange programme for "young political leaders". I was then an adviser to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, specialising in East-West relations, and always found myself on Paavo's itinerary” says Ritch.