HELSINKI (Thomson Financial) - The Finnish unit of German utility E.ON said it has agreed to buy land in southern Finland on which it hopes to build what could be the country's seventh nuclear reactor.
The 112-hectare plot, located near an existing nuclear reactor in the coastal town of Loviisa, will cost the group 6.5 mln eur, E.ON Finland said.
The company's chief executive Matti Manninen told Thomson Financial News that there are plans to launch an extensive study of the technical and environmental aspects of a possible plant once the purchase is approved by local authorities.
Finland's fifth nuclear reactor is currently being built in Olkiluoto for TVO, while Fortum and Pohjolan Voima are putting together an environmental impact assessment report on a possible sixth reactor.
'Generally speaking, looking at the new government's programme there is a rather clear positive statement that they do not exclude nuclear power as one option in Finnish power generation,' Manninen said. james.etheridge@thomson.com je/lam COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.