Revised Nuclear Energy Act is sent out for comments
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has sent out for comments the draft of the new Nuclear Energy Act. Primarily, the new act aims to ensure that the use of nuclear energy is in line with the overall good of society, that the operations are safe and that nuclear waste generated in Finland is handled properly.
In accordance with the Government Programme, we also aim to strengthen Finland’s position as an attractive location for producing nuclear energy and constructing new facilities. This will be achieved by creating preconditions that accelerate and streamline the preparation and implementation of projects,” says Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.
The Government also wants to ensure that the use of nuclear energy does not promote the proliferation of nuclear weapons and that Finland complies with Euratom and international obligations related to the safety of nuclear energy use and the nuclear safeguards. A ban on nuclear weapons is included in the draft act in its current form. The matter will be assessed later in connection with the reform of the Act on the military explosives.
The Nuclear Energy Act and the provisions issued under it will be entirely reformed. The regulations of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority as well as the Regulatory Guides on nuclear safety will also be revised in their entirety in a separate process that will take into account the new legislation.
The new Nuclear Energy Act will clarify the regulation related to the use of nuclear energy. The current act has been in force for over 35 years and it has been amended dozens of times. The act no longer corresponds with the current legislative practice and needs. The operating environment, technology and other legislation have changed significantly and will continue to change.
New licence model for nuclear facilities will better facilitate project development
According to the proposal, the first comprehensive assessment of the overall good of society would take place in a resolution that would be more general than at present. As a rule, the decision would be made by the Government. However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment would make the decision on small nuclear power plant projects.
The Government resolution in favour of a project would be submitted to Parliament as a report. The licence system for a nuclear facility would be modular. The licences for a nuclear facility would no longer handle in detail the organisation of nuclear waste management or nuclear safeguards or technical matters related to the safety of the facility. Instead, these matters would be handled separately at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
The new act would also reform the regulation on the validity of a licence to operate a nuclear facility so that the licence could be extended if the statutory conditions were met. Licences on nuclear facilities would be decided by the Government, but licences concerning an independent nuclear facility intended for the handling and storage of nuclear materials and nuclear waste would be decided by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
Provisions on nuclear waste management and planning for its costs would be laid down based on the corresponding principles as in the current act. The intention is that the final disposal of radioactive waste generated in Finland would take place in Finland and that nuclear waste generated in other countries would not be disposed of in Finland.
Regulation on the import and export of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel would be amended to enable treatment preceding final disposal or possible reuse.
The experimental use of fusion reactors will be regulated by the Radiation Act in the future. The proposed Nuclear Energy Act would regulate facilities where nuclear reactions occur based on fission. The proposal would enable innovations related to fusion energy.
The rules on licensing and safety of activities involving mining and preparation of ore would also be reformed. The requirements and licence system for recovery plants of nuclear material (uranium or thorium) would correspond, as appropriate, with those laid down for nuclear facilities. A collateral would be required in case the obligations on decontamination and waste management were neglected. The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority would act as the licensing authority.
The regulation on the funding of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority would be reformed. The proposed acts are scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2027.
The draft act sent out for comments proposes to enact a Nuclear Energy Act and to amend the Radiation Act, the Criminal Code, the Pressure Equipment Act, the Mining Act, the Act on the Safe Handling of Dangerous Chemicals and Explosives, the Act on the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Security Clearance Act, the Rescue Act, the Cybersecurity Act, the Building Act and the Act on the Type Approval of Certain Construction Products.
Consultation period ends on 25 August 2025
Comments on the draft act may be submitted under the ‘request for comments’ on the lausuntopalvelu.fi website by 25 August 2025. It is not necessary to send the comments by e-mail or post. Those submitting a comment must register and log into the lausuntopalvelu.fi service. More detailed instructions are available in Finnish or Swedish on the website at: Ohjeet > Käyttöohjeet or Anvisningar > Bruksanvisningar
If the comment cannot be submitted via the lausuntopalvelu.fi website, it can be emailed to the Registry of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment at kirjaamo.tem(at)gov.fi All comments are public. Please use the register number VN/12625/2023 in the comment.
Inquiries:
Anja Liukko, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 062 078 (available for comment until 28 June and from 4 August)
Juho Korteniemi, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 947 054 (available for comment 1–11 July)
Lyydia Ylönen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Climate and the Environment, tel. +358 50 476 1341