Finnish utility Fennovoima has asked the government for a revised decision- in-principle for the construction of the new Hanhikivi nuclear power station at Pyh äjoki in northwest Finland, the company said in a statement.
Fennovoima submitted a request on 4 March 2014 to the Ministry of Employment and Economy to re-examine the government’s decision-in-principle of 6 May 2010 for the construction of the station.
The 2010 decision approved the construction of a nuclear power plant at Pyhäjoki, but since then the ownership of Fennovoima has changed and a new design for the plant was selected.
Fennovoima said the decision needs a supplemental approval to ensure that the project is still within the legal framework of Finland’s Nuclear Energy Act.
Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Stuk) is expected to provide the government with a preliminary safety assessment of the project in the spring of 2014. Then, the government will review the 2010 decision in the summer and a discussion in parliament will follow in the autumn, a statement from the Ministry of Employment and Economy said.