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ZEIT ONLINE : Did sticking to the construction of large nuclear blocks also cause the country's energy problems?
Lund: Absolutely. The twenty percent that Finland has to import corresponds almost exactly to the capacity of the Olkiluoto-3 reactor unit, which was supposed to have been in operation since 2009 and whose connection has now been postponed again. Companies looking to expand renewable energy were wondering why they should invest. Major research and development of peak energy capacity has been postponed. The government didn't invest, initial credit was hard to come by, the state didn't even realize that our energy security was at risk to avoid reacting. We saw that the imbalance between demand and capacities continued to grow, but we were able to do this with cheap electricity from
Russiaand compensate the Nordic countries. And wait for the two big reactors.
ZEIT ONLINE : Has the Russian attack on Ukraine changed anything?
Lund: Well, Fennovoima, a Finnish-Russian consortium, wanted to build the Hanhikivi reactor in Finland.
With the invasion of Ukraine, the contract with Rosatom was terminated .
ZEIT ONLINE : That's it?
Lund: In any case, the majority state-owned company Fortum will buy uranium fuel rods from Russia through Rosatom at least until 2030. The government does not address this. Nuclear power is sacred here, it seems okay to fund Putin like that. On the other hand, Germany and its gas purchases from Russia were very scandalized here.
ZEIT ONLINE : Prime Minister Sanna Marin is a prominent voice in international sanctions against Russia, how does that fit together?
Lund: Not at all. It's kind of a double standard. Or a selective morality. It amazes me too. This is actually a dogmatic approach. The basic assumption is that nuclear power is cheap, reliable, safe. The prime minister and her ministers are telling the world how good we are at all of this. At home we see that economic interests trump everything.
ZEIT ONLINE : There is no criticism?
Lund: No, we're just looking at the benefits here. All scientific research would show that nuclear power is good (
laughs) . Well, then you just forgot about the EU Science Commission, which published a long list of concerns. The College of Economics also has objections. But all of that will be wiped away.
ZEIT ONLINE : And now?
Lund: Now they say: Nuclear power saves us. nonsense. The focus on nuclear energy is destroying us. For 14 years we have been waiting for a great solution. We have to talk about a part of the regime that I hinted at above: The press in Finland is very concentrated. The official line from the country's largest newspaper, the
Helsingin Sanomat , is: "We support nuclear power." All open. The Sanoma Group also dominates local media.
ZEIT ONLINE : How do you deal with it as a member of the climate committee? Doesn't the government have to hear you?
Lund: Well, the climate committee reacts to legislative proposals. We have a strong lobby that says you have to be neutral when it comes to technology and not ideologically opposed to it. I find that very ideological myself. If you are neutral, that is, uncritical, you support what I called the regime. And not new, alternative sources of energy. Why don't we have a critical debate, no dialogue? The economics of the Small Modular Reactor models don't look good at all. Regulatory authorities in the US have significant safety concerns. Electricity is three to four times more expensive than a kilowatt hour from wind. Even solar energy in Finland is cheaper.
ZEIT ONLINE : And how is Fortum, the country's largest energy company, positioning itself?
Lund: Fortum is a nuclear power company. This is how they secure profits. There is a symbiosis between Fortum and Finnish R
government, they support each other. If we look at the research of the International Atomic Energy Agency, we find interesting numbers: Globally, around 70 percent of electricity production in 2050 will come from the sun and wind. Wouldn't that be a signal for the government to ask how we intend to deal with this? How can we promote change, settle industry, rebuild? No,
we are counting on more nuclear power .
ZEIT ONLINE : This is actually a surprising position for a government made up of Social Democrats, the Center Party, the Greens and the Left.
Lund: The Greens are actually leaning far in the direction of the Conservatives when it comes to energy policy. I am very amazed. In the nuclear debate, the goal has been set beforehand. This is yesterday's technology, with political support. When I look around to see if there is any serious, scientific research into how we can supply electricity to Finland without nuclear energy, I see: no. When I ask ministries, I get a short answer: we don't need it. We know it doesn't work. To question the nuclear industry is to question power. When you're on the side of the atom, you're on the side of power. Sounds like
Star Wars .