Don’t think. Know.
Nuclear power is a topic on which most have an opinion. For or against, loud or quiet. Sometimes the scales are balanced, with no strong opinion on the matter. But a lot of open questions hanging in the air.
The visitors’ hosts in Olkiluoto are asked a plethora of questions about the operation, safety and environmental impact of nuclear power plants. The replies my come as a surprise. The expression ”ignorance is bliss, knowledge is pain” is often reversed. In the 
world of nuclear power, at least, you shouldn’t think. You should know.
How is electricity made? Will that project (meaning the Olkiluoto 3 plant unit) ever be completed? Could the plant blow up? Why are there no leaves on the trees? Are all the green plants on the plant site artificial? Couldn’t the waste heat discharged to sea be utilised with ground source heat pumps? Have there been four-eyed fish in the area? Aren’t women who work at the plant afraid of becoming infertile? Can we use the toilet here (in ONKALO, 400 m underground)?
– Still, we never grow tired of answering. There are no stupid questions, we take all of them seriously. The concerns are real and we do our best to answer them as best we can, says Information Officer Hannu Huovila.
According to him, people are often impressed during their visit by the opportunity of seeing and experiencing at close range something they imagined was highly secret and dangerous. – Maybe it takes some of the mystic away from this topic.
[link2|232|target="_blank"|Olkiluoto 3] plant unit will be the safest plant in the world and as such takes a long time to be built. The safety of the existing plant units has been improved through modernisation projects. Trees have leaves throughout their growing season and then drop them in the autumn, also in Olkiluoto. And no four-eyed fish have ever been detected. Waste heat has been utilised in e.g. growing grapes and heating the buildings on the plant site. Radiation dosimeters tell the true tale.
– It is important to increase general understanding of the topic. Everybody can then form their own opinion after their [link2|206|target="_blank"|visit], Mr. Huovila concludes.
More questions and answers related to nuclear power can be found also in Frequently asked questions.
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