Case Litvinenko and Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant

Case Litvinenko

Yesterday we got the Litvinenko Inquiry published  https://www.litvinenkoinquiry.org/files/Litvinenko-Inquiry-Report-web-version.pdf. It was about the time!

The Litvinenko Case seems to be quite clear: two members of Russian FSB got rid of former FSB employee Alexander Litvinenko by giving him tea tainted with Polonium-210 - lethal radionuclide produced in nuclear reactors. There was still not 100% certainty of FSB being behind the murder or whether the two FSB officers were really quilty of this cold blooded murder. But it seems obvious that this is just the case.

And if this is the case so it is most probable that the 5 micrograms of Polonium-210 originated from a Russian nuclear reactor. A reactor owned and controlled by Russian ROSATOM. And the company is strictly under the rule of Mr. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russian Federation. As well as FSB is.

Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Reactor and Case Litvinenko

ROSATOM is also the company building the sixth nuclear reactor for Fennovoima in North-western Finland. After several quite strange political swings and despite of majority of Finns being against the project.

And Mr. Putin said just a few weeks ago that he is happy that the Finnish government allowed the Hanhikivi project to be licensed http://yle.fi/uutiset/putin_kehui_suomen_eduskunnan_vaikeaa_paatosta_antaa_lupa_fennovoiman_rakentamiselle/8536823  . Getting the green light was very important for the Russian nuclear industry. I would say it was a question of life and death. Finland seems to be the nuclear guinea pig of the world - when Olkiluoto-3 deal was made the other western countries started their nuclear projects anew after Chernobyl depression. And now Hanhikivi-1 NPP will offer Russians their long awaited first western Europe NPP-construction deal. Their geopolitical plan is moving on.

http://globalriskinsights.com/2015/10/russia-is-creating-a-global-nuclear-power-empire/

But What Is the Price for Finland - Democracy?

A terrorist attack made by a nuclear state using nuclear poisoning should be strictly condemned by all democratic societies. If that is not done, such countries continue to use this kind of dirty weapons as a means of their foreign policy. And it was not only Litvinenko that was targeted: tens of thousands of innocent people were possibly harmed by super-poison Polonium-210: 

"British Airways later published a list of 221 flights of the contaminated aircraft, involving around 33,000 passengers, and advised those potentially affected to contact the UK Department of Health for help." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko

The only thing that could affect this kind of dirty tricks would be economical means. If Finnish government would put Hanhikivi on hold it would make the Russians think twice about their means of foreign policy.

But there is big money involved - the Fortum gas power plants in Russia, worth billions of euros - which were indirectly mentioned by Mr. Putin when he thanked Finns for the continuation of Hanhikivi construction. https://www.fortum.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Investors/Fortum%20in%20Russia.pdf

http://yle.fi/uutiset/researcher_horse-trading_behind_planned_fortum-fennovoima_deal/7665234

http://www.reuters.com/article/fortum-oyj-russia-fennovoima-idUSL5N10G0WU20150805

 And the fear of loosing these investments forced Finnish government (and obviously also Fortum) to continue with a project that will bring big losses to Finnish people, towns, cities and taxpayers.

http://www.hs.fi/talous/a1446608429821

A suspected murderer as a member of Russian Duma

The situation is even more complicated as the other of main suspects of the murder of Litvinenko, Mr. Andrey Lugovoy, enjoys immunity from prosecution because his membership of the Russian Duma. 

But should a country like Finland be making nuclear deals with a country that uses energy as geopolitical weapon? Or should we be accepting the policy of making and threatening other countries with radioactive dirty bombs http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/submarines/2015/11/13/russia-leaks-dirty-bomb-submarine-drone-state-tv-broadcast/75710806/ and customized murdering weapons by a powerful nuclear arms state neighboring us? Or should we put moral before money?

I just ask.

JPS

Photos by Jukka Seppälä/ C.F.

It Smells Like FSB, It Sounds Like FSB and It Looks Like FSB - but They Tell It Is FENNOVOIMA-Migrit Solarna Energija-ROSATOM (and Some of Finnish Politicians believe it......?)

We have a strange theater play going on in Finland. It's called Fennovoima Hanhikivi -1 nuclear power plant.

The latest news tells us that Finnish ownership of Fennovoima NPP-company has risen over 60% because of a new owner Migrit solarna energija http://www.migrit-energija.com/en/index.html  from Croatia with a 9% piece of cake! Finnish ownership! Yes, indeed!

 Shareholders have invested huge Euro 26. 000 (Yes, correct, you just read it: twenty six thousand euros) on the company, which would be one of the main owners of a 8 Billion euro NPP with 9% ownership!

Well, you guessed right again! There will be Russian money behind the company. Lots of Russian money. Laundry? Who knows. My gut feeling is that there isn't everything OK on this case. Smells like geopolitics. Smells like Moscow driven  we want it - we'll get it -project. Smells like a Rosatom-FSB-overseas -project.

I just can't help it. And I guess I'm not the only one.

English Wikipedia tells about FSB:
"Putin emphasized three major tasks of the agency: neutralizing foreign espionage, safeguarding economic and financial security of the country and combating organized crime."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Security_Service 

"Safeguardin economic and financial security...." Hmmmm.....!



Now this is a test for Finnish politicians: do they have guts to whistle blow game-over signal to Kremlin and Fennovoima-Rosatom coalition or are they just puppets singing old songs of 70ties.

 Finnish national interests demand finishing this project now.

I hope Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO)  http://www.poliisi.fi/en/supo  will really use its international contacts to find out who really stands behind Migrit solarna energija and where do the money come from needed for Fennovoima ownership! This is also a question that EU want certainly get decent answers. Russian invasion on European energy industry while the conflict in Ukraine continues should ring some kind of alarm bells in Brussels.

We'll wait and see what happens!

Let's hope for the best!



JPS

Energy Change Movement Launches Its Campaign - the Goal: 100 % Renewable Energy Finland in 2050

Last Thursday - 5th March 2015 - there was a campaign launch for the Energiaremontti2015 campaign. Here is the press release:

Press Release 5 March

Finland is starting an Energy Renewal! Old energy policy has reached dead end.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Energiaremontti2015 campaign, which translates as “energy renewal or renovation 2015”, has gathered support from all Finnish parliamentary parties. The campaign was published today, and is also backed by an excited group of supporters from companies and the scientific community nationwide. Young candidates from all parliamentary parties support the campaign.

They have a common message: Renew our Energy! Let’s seize the opportunities provided by the breakthrough of new energy technologies and renewable energy and make them a competitive advantage for Finland.

The aim of the campaign is Finland’s transition to a 100 % renewable, energy efficient and smart energy system. The change starts right now, and it must be ready by 2050. The use of coal in electricity and heat production must be stopped by 2025 and the use of oil and natural gas by 2035. By 2050, transportation must also operate on renewables only. The campaign does not call for prematurely closing currently operational nuclear reactors nor for revoking permits already given to new reactors.

The campaign was initiated by citizens who are excited about the possibilities that new energy provides. “Finland has been hitting the breaks when it comes to energy policy, relying on obsolete assumptions about energy. It’s finally time to take some bold steps towards a new energy future”, says Campaign Manager Piia Kuosmanen.

Updating our energy system will bring new clients to Finnish companies that can then hire new employees. When the domestic market is working, our most competitive energy solutions can compete on the world market, bringing vital export opportunities.

Professor Peter Lund, who studies new energy systems in Aalto University, supports the campaign: “Energy and climate issues are the biggest challenges of our time. They can’t be solved by looking back but by investing in new energy opportunities. It’s high time for Finland to step into the new era of energy thinking. Favoring Finnish products brings us jobs, exports and growth, also when it comes to energy. At the same time we can solve pressing climate challenges.”

A group of politicians supporting the campaign demand that the goal to go 100 % renewable is written in the next government’s program. “Finland as a nation needs a common energy vision that extends from the left wing to the right wing of politics. This vision must be a Finland that is 100 % renewable. Change has to start now”, the group says in their statement.  

To learn more about the Energiaremontti2015 campaign, please contact:

Campaign Manager Piia Kuosmanen, +358 45 138 3184, pkuosmanen@gmail.com

Links (In Finnish):

Energiaremontti2015 on Twitter @Energiaremontti

Energiaremontti2015 on Facebook www.facebook.com/energiaremontti2015.fi 

Goals of the campaign http://energiaremontti2015.fi/mika-energiaremontti/ 

Supporters of the campaign http://energiaremontti2015.fi/energiaremontin-tukijat/ 

Statement of politicians supporting the campaign http://energiaremontti2015.fi/kaikkien-eduskuntapuolueiden-edustajat-vaativat-energiaremonttia-hallitusohjelmaan/ 

*       *       *

Let's do it now!

JPS

Could Countries that Do Not Have Nuclear Weapons Have a Counter Strike Possibility After Being Attacked with Nuclear Weapons?

After the mankind has opened the Pandora's box of nuclear age it seems quite clear that the only thing that keeps us avoiding nuclear war is the threat of a nuclear counter strike. This balance of fear is maintained by nuclear states controlling each other not least with treaties and agreements reducing their arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

Arts-photo: Jukka Seppälä / C.F.


But for me, personally, being a pacifist by heart, it has been of great concern when nuclear states like USA or Russia have directly or indirectly mentioned the possibility of a preemptive tactical nuclear strike against countries that do not necessarily have nuclear weapons.

Especially the situation in Ukraine has been reminding us of the possibility of first use of nuclear weapons against a nation that does not own one. The new military doctrine of Kremlin mentions nuclear weapons as a possible countermeasure in a situation where the existence of the Russian state is threatened by attack with conventional weapons. But it is left open when this kind of situation could occur - this can be freely translated by the Russian government. And what makes me to worry about it is how some Russian military leaders have taken the possibility of using nuclear weapons as a part of the political discussion on  Ukrainian war.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-general-calls-for-preemptive-nuclear-strike-doctrine-against-nato/506370.html

http://www.newsweek.com/russia-has-threatened-nuclear-attack-says-ukraine-defence-minister-267842

But should the countries with no nuclear weapons arsenal start gaining the Bomb?

There is evidence of a nuclear renaissance based on some government's will to create a nuclear weapons arsenal of their own. For some Arabic countries the threat they believe to occur because of Israeli or Iranian nuclear arms it seems obvious that they are participating on nuclear programs having their own Bomb in mind. And there are many countries around the world that are secretly the friends of the Bomb, though officially they have nothing to do with it. Their nuclear power is only for peaceful purposes. So does Iran also claim. Who believes these promises.

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/nuclear-kingdom-saudi-arabias-atomic-ambitions

Building up new nuclear reactors is creating new nuclear weapons states.

And I can understand the point behind this thinking: why should only the U.S.A. , China, Russia, India, France, the UK, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, Iran have nuclear weapons? Why not others? Russians and Americans did not ask anybody for permission to build up their Bombs. Nor did the others. Why should us?

Well, we have gone way too far that road to turn back - or have we?

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pakistan-to-have-200-nuclear-weapons-by-2020-us-think-tank/514478-2.html

Imagine if!

We could just make a little imaginary exercise: we could think what will happen, if the countries without nuclear weapons were creative enough to find out their very own possibility of counter strike (in the case their land has been targeted with a nuclear strike) without having their own nuclear weapons.

All they have to do is realize, how they could cause an equivalent economical loss to the nuclear invader, than the strike causes them. And there is a clever and simple - as well as much cheaper than creating your own nuclear arms program - way to do it.

You just train, say a few hundred commandos, to attack the nuclear power plants and spent nuclear fuel pools for the possibility that some government would run a  nuclear attack on your country.

 Then you have only to officially announce of having this kind of special force. That's it. No nuclear state is so stupid that it risks of attacking with nuclear weapons such a country, that is capable of having a counter strike with conventional weapons / special commandos that will cause hundreds of billions to thousands of billions of dollars loss to the target country and leave more severe radioactive fallout than after a limited strike with nuclear weapons.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-15/nuclear-reactors-across-u-dot-s-dot-seen-vulnerable-to-terrorist-attack

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/26/opinion/chasdi-nuclear-terrorism-risk

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/26/how-u-s-nuclear-reactors-are-vulnerable-to-terrorists/

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-03-14/potential-cost-nuclear-accident-so-high-it%E2%80%99s-secret

http://cdn-lejdd.ladmedia.fr/var/lejdd/storage/images/media/images/nucleaire/8830485-1-fre-FR/nucleaire.jpg

http://solarwindpronet.blogspot.fi/2013/04/nuclear-accident-in-france-would-cost-1.html?showComment=1417817305871#c2279222501389777857

But is it against international treaties about warfare to attack nuclear reactors or spent fuel pools?

Sure it is, but as well the nuclear strike against any country is. And if it is remained as a counter strike threat, it is as ethical as having nuclear weapons ready to be launched if someone attacks you with nuclear missiles. This is only fare for the poor countries that have no possibility to produce their own nuclear bombs....

Well, after seen this imaginary possibility to have their own counter measures for tactical nuclear attacks, some countries may announce of this possibility. Or most probably not. But one thing I hope will happen is that the strategists of nuclear powers will abandon all plans to attack with nukes on countries without nuclear weapons - because they know now: even a single nuclear detonation on others territory could cost them thousands of billions of dollars - it's simply too risky a business!

And some people still think that nuclear power is safe......

No nukes is better!

Renewable energy is the only safe, ethical, democratic and environmentally reasonable power source we have. And it is also economically competitive now! Let's make the change - together!

JPS

Finland - 20 years behind others - in energy politics

Finland is seen as a country of leading technologies and a superior schooling system. And I'm proud to be Finnish for many reasons.

Thinking of the 70'ies: the energy policy of Finland   Photo: J.S. / C.F

But there is one sector in our society that has never left 1970'ies. And it is the centralized power generating policy.

We are hearing the same arguments about cheap base load power generated in nuclear power plants year after year. The same thesis and phrases we are used to hear for many decades.

But.

The rest of the world does not speak the same language any more.

Nuclear power is out.

http://www.worldnuclearreport.org/WNISR2014.html#_Toc268768688

http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2014-10-sweden-edging-nuclear-power-incoming-government

It is out without state (taxpayers) subsidiaries. Hinkley Point is the last fortress of nuclear industry to survive, asking for common money to be paid for their save-the-earth nuclear nightmare: world-record-expensive new Areva-reactors. And the case is not yet closed....

http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2014/10/8/hinkley-point-c-will-be-the-most-expensive-nuke-ever-if-comp.html

http://energytransition.de/2014/10/price-of-new-nuclear-revisited/

Or then there is still this Russian nuclear-arms-and-power-combination-giant, ROSATOM. It is trying to get leading role on worlds nuclear power and nuclear fuel market. Nobody knows (perhaps except Mr. Putin) how much Russian state is dumping money on it to keep it going. But if it were an ordinary company running only with private money, it's story could have ended long ago....

And the Chinese and Indian nuclear projects are still running..... (they have the Bomb....)

But solar power is the answer. And wind. And geothermal. And tidal waves. And bio-energy. 

Renewables are the winners of the future. And the future is already here.

http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/pressreleases/2014/september/how-solar-energy-could-be-the-largest-source-of-electricity-by-mid-century.html

But we, the Finns (or at least our politicians), are slow to learn.

We have high quality science. We have skilled scientists. We have talented professors demanding energy change. http://energiapolitiikka.fi/  We have over 60 % of our citizens opposing the construction of Fennovoima nuclear power plant. Most of Finns are interested in solar energy and other renewables. But our government is showing green light to Fennovoima and nuclear power in general, keeping on shouting the old mantras of 70'ties about cheap power for the industry, while gaining the most expensive one.

Perhaps it would now be the time for them to read the news and think twice before they continue repeating their outdated phrases. The times they are a changing!

Stop Fennovoima NPP project!           Photo: J.S. / C.F.

JPS

Nuclear Finlandisation - Finnish Government Agrees on 100 years Russian Nuclear Dependency

“It is a 100-year-long project. 10 years to construct, 60 years to operate, then hopefully 20 years to operate to get an extension approved by the state, and then 10 years to decommission,” (ROSATOM Overseas’ representative Roman Dyukarev)

http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/749996 

There is a hell of a discussion going on in Finland about finlandisation. I think that is just a part of modern finlandisation. You are not allowed to talk about the subject - economical-political decisions based on not conflicting the Russian interests if our own business interests are threatened at the same time.

Our former Minister of the Environment, Mr. Ville Niinistö made the discussion by mentioning the word finlandisation on Financical Times interview a few days ago http://search.ft.com/search?queryText=ville+niinist%C3%B6 . Leading politicians have called Minister Niinistö unpatriotic for his outcome on the issue. Also leading opposition parties have been criticizing Niinistö for using that ugly word. And president Sauli Niinistö was also giving a statement that he cannot see any finlandisation now. http://yle.fi/uutiset/news/ 

But is it really so? I'm afraid it is not.

If we are closing our eyes to the fact that Russian influence on our energy policy will be sealed for next 100 years if we accept this Fennovoima-ROSATOM -project when 2/3 of Finns are against it as well as most of energy experts, so this could be called FINLANDISATION in it's gravest form.

So Finland is accepting a Russian nuclear weapons company under straight control of Vladimir Putin to be running a nuclear power plant for a century, causing huge losses to Finnish taxpayers and making it very difficult to develop domestic renewable energy industry. That is what I would call UNPATRIOTIC.

*  *  *

By the way, Ville Niinisto used to be a researcher on political history - especially on finlandisation, before he entered to political career....

JPS

ROSATOM's Mission and the Interests of the Finnish People and EU

"ROSATOM's Mission is to maintain national interests in defence, nuclear safety and nuclear power by achieving global leadership in advanced technologies, competencies and innovations."

http://www.rosatom.ru/en/about/mission/ 

Should we be more critical to ROSATOM-Fennovoima NPP-project?    Arts Picture by Jukka Seppälä / Creator's Fingerprints

This mission statement on ROSATOM's own website should have been read with care by Finnish politicians and ministers long ago. 

Wishful thinking belongs to real politics of Finland on areas where it can lead to severe difficulties when it's time to pay the bill.

The owner and operator of Olkiluoto NPP, TVO, pays a hard bill of about 100 million euros for planning costs for Olkiluoto-4 nuclear reactor. The company was just today denied the licence to construct the 4th reactor of Olkiluoto NPP in Eurajoki, South-Western Finland.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/economic_minister_says_fennovoima_reactor_can_go_ahead_greens_may_quit_cabinet/7471840

Olkiluoto-3 NPP in 2012                                           Photo: JS / C.F.

And they have to manage to run a super-expensive OL-3 EPR-reactor, having electricity price somewhere between 65-120 e/MWh, while Nordic market price for power varies somewhere between 25-39 e/MWh. And the reason for building nuclear power was 'cheap power for the industry'.....

It is quite strange how many Finnish politicians ignore to see the geopolitical importance of nuclear power business to Russian leaders, though ROSATOM openly tell it on their official website. 

Finnish government (all parties but the green movement) are giving a false signal to the Russian people and to president Vladimir Putin by accepting cooperation with a Russian state owned nuclear weapons company that is governed by -  Mr. Putin. If we are willing not to accept the Russian invasion on Ukraine, so we shouldn't be playing atomic games with the Russian army nuclear arms manufacturer - and funding it's activities. It is a risky and rough way to go and it seems that most part of the funding for the Fennovoima-ROSATOM NPP project is coming from Finnish taxpayers, EU-citizens. The recent polls show that 2/3 of Finns are against Fennovoima-ROSATOM plan. Private money and plenty of energy companies and consulting companies have found it to be too expensive, risky and unprofitable to be realized.

Olkiluoto-3 Fiasco should be ringing the alarm bells for the nation. The 10 billion euro project is not scheduled to be generating power to the grid before late 2018 - the original deadline for on grid was 2009. Nobody knows if it will be finished by this latest time estimate. I hope not. I have written about it several times before on my blogs: http://solarwindpronet.blogspot.fi/2012/12/olkiluoto-3-epr-to-cost-at-least-85.html  and  http://solarwindpronet-suomi.blogspot.fi/2013/05/tehdaan-olkiluoto-3-ja-4-voimaloista.html .

It is widely known fact that OL-3 is one of the most problematic  NPP projects in the world. And now our own politicians admit it too:  http://yle.fi/uutiset/vapaavuori_olkiluoto_3_on_teollisuushistoriamme_surkein_tapaus/7472933 (in Finnish).

*   *   *

The Russian should now face the renewable energy future            Photo: JS / C.F.

If we are willing to cooperate with the Russian Federation on energy business, it should be mainly on renewable energy. 

That would support heavily EU's sustainable energy plans and give the Russians a clear signal which way to go in the future. Distributed power generation and intelligent grids are here to stay - and they should belong to the future of modern Russia - because we share the same planet.

*   *   *

By the way, I Highly appreciate the outcome of our Minister of the Environment Ville Niinistö on Fennovoima-Rosatom issue! He's a brave man and a honest, good politician! Wishing him Good Luck!   http://yle.fi/uutiset/vihreat_lahtee_hallituksesta_jos_ydinvoimalupa_hyvaksytaan/7472441 (in Finnish).

JPS