HELSINKI, Finland, May 27, 2002 (ENS) - Finland's Green Environment Minister Satu Hassi today resigned in protest at Friday's parliamentary vote in favor of constructing a new nuclear power station.

Hassi's party voted Sunday to quit the coalition government, leaving Greens participating in just two European Union governments, down from four just a month ago.

Environment Minister Satu Hassi (Photo courtesy Government of Finland)

Hassi became environment minister in April 1999, replacing another Green. While in office she made strong efforts to support international agreement on the Kyoto climate protocol. Hassi also promoted adoption of eco-efficiency goals.

Finland's parliament Friday backed in principle the construction of a new nuclear power station, marking the first such approval in Europe for over a decade and bucking a trend towards phasing out nuclear power in several other EU countries including Germany and Sweden. In a free vote, MPs approved the government proposal by 107 to 92.

Nuclear power alone is not sufficient to restrain greenhouse gas emissions, Finland's industry ministry said, but is an important element.

MPs agreed that Finnish policies aimed at compliance with the Kyoto climate protocol should also include support for renewable energy and energy conservation measures.

Under parliament's resolution, power firm TVO now has five years to apply for a construction permit for what would be Finland's fifth nuclear power station. Before reaching this stage, it will have to decide between two possible sites on which to build the plant.

The 27 year old Kola Nuclear Power Plant is one of Finland's four existing nuclear plants. (Photo by Thomas Nilsen courtesy Bellona)

For the European nuclear energy lobby Foratom, parliament's decision "clearly recognized the economic and environmental advantages of nuclear."

Finland's energy industry federation, Finergy, described it as a "correct decision" that would "facilitate the achievement of national climate objectives."

But for the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, the vote meant parliament had "rejected sustainable development" and delivered a "severe backlash to the environment."

The Greens in the European parliament also expressed disappointment, saying the decision "defies all international trends."

"It is a total illusion to assume that the climate problem could be solved with nuclear power," the Greens said in a statement. "If nuclear energy use was to be doubled from the current seven percent in the world during the next 25 years, one new nuclear plant would have to be built every week. This would of course produce equally immense safety risks and nuclear waste problems."

{Published in cooperation with ENDS Environment Daily, Europe's choice for environmental news. Environmental Data Services Ltd, London. Email: envdaily@ends.co.uk}