Spent fuel from all nuclear reactors in the country (fuel irradiated in a nuclear reactor) is stored as a disposal facility for thousands of years.
The surprising development of Finland’s gross domestic product also attracted the attention of international news points this week. According to Statistics Finland, the country’s GDP grew by 3.3 percent in the third quarter.
This is significantly more than previous estimates of 2.6 percent. Statistics Finland also revised previous estimates of the decline in GDP caused by COVID-19 in the second quarter, from 4.5% to 3.9%.
The previous estimate would still have been the smallest decline in GDP in euro area economies, according to Eurostat.
At the same time, Greece has expressed its opposition to Finland’s relationship with Turkey and called previous cooperation with Turkey at the UN “disappointing”.
This week, the Greek Ambassador to Finland gave a strong wording to a Finnish newspaper condemning the country’s public support for Turkey.
Turkey and Finland are currently the maintainers of the UN Friends of Mediation Group, an organization that aims to promote the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Finland has proven to be a country of opportunities for women’s football coaches, and more and more women have taken up the position in recent years.
The new movement is supported by veterans, among others Anna Signeul, which has helped Finnish women’s national football teams to reach the field in the ongoing women’s Euro 2022 qualifiers.
The Finnish electricity company Flexens was also in the news about ongoing experiments with green hydrogen. The company is conducting a study on the use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy as a fuel for ferries in the Åland archipelago.
Hydrogen would be produced with wind energy in Åland, which would enable production costs such as fossil fuels.
Finland’s method of disposing of nuclear fuel is a game changer
Director – General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi has thanked Onkalo for its spent nuclear fuel disposal facility, which is the first of its kind when completed.
Grossi stated that although the use of a geological disposal facility for the treatment of high-level nuclear waste is not new, Finland is the first country to implement it in practice.
The disposal facility is approximately 450 meters below ground level and is based on the KBS-3 method for nuclear waste management developed by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB).
The original article was published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on November 26, 2020, and can be found here.
Unexpected GDP growth in Finland
According to Statistics Finland, the country’s total output grew by 3.3 per cent in the third quarter, exceeding previous estimates by 2.6 per cent.
According to Statistics Finland, Finland’s gross domestic product decreased by 2.7 per cent from the previous year in the third quarter. Although the country’s consumer confidence index returned to -4.8 per cent in November, it remained below the long-term average of -1.8 points.
Economists have called the new assessment a promising sign; however, manufacturers remain pessimistic about production expectations in the coming months.
The original article was published by Reuters on November 27, 2020 and can be found here.
Greece is dissatisfied with Finland’s co-operation with Turkey
The Greek Ambassador to Finland has stated that Greece considers the continued co-operation between Finland and Turkey to be disappointing.
In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet, Georgios Ayfantis said that Finland ‘s position on Turkey had “shocked” him and his colleagues in Athens.
Turkey and Finland worked together to launch the Mediation for Peace initiative, which currently includes 52 countries and eight organizations, at the UN in 2010. Greece and Turkey are currently in dispute over Mediterranean hydrocarbon resources.
The original article was published by the Daily Sabah on December 1, 2020 and can be found here.
Women’s football coaches achieve their goals in Finland
In recent years, with the explosive rise of women football players, more and more women in Finland have obtained football coach diplomas.
The support of organizations such as UEFA and the Finnish Football Association, which provide grants and programs for women coaches, has led to fewer barriers for women in the sector.
Finnish goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela and other members of the national women’s team have recently completed coaching courses. The number of registrants for Pro, A and C has also increased significantly over the last four years.
The original article was published by UEFA.com on November 30, 2020, and can be found here.
A Finnish company that studies hydrogen-powered vessels
The renewable energy project aims to develop a commercially viable hydrogen-based technology for ferry operations. The power company Flexens is working with the Åland government to promote a project where wind farms will use hydrogen, which will then be used in fuel cells.
Åland is highly dependent on ferries and offers ideal conditions for wind energy. The first applications of the technology are projected to be completed by 2024.
The original article was published by The Maritime Executive on November 27, 2020, and can be found here.
Tahira Sequeira
Helsinki Times
Source: The Nordic Page