The driving force behind the conference was Karin Westling, Research Area Director for Nuclear Power at Energiforsk. Below are eight questions for her.
The nuclear power conference was fully booked with over 120 participants. How would you summarize the event?
– High energy! Both speakers and participants were well-informed, interested, and eager to discuss. The conversations started already during the pre-dinner drinks and seemed never to end. Most attendees made full use of the conference, the dinner, and especially the breaks. The topic of lifetime extension is clearly something people both wanted and needed to talk about.
The theme was lifetime extension – why?
– The assumption that the Nordic nuclear fleet will continue producing energy is a given in most future system scenarios, despite no formal decisions being made. Meanwhile, the political and public discourse is almost exclusively focused on new nuclear construction. We felt that a dedicated forum was needed to discuss the issue from all conceivable perspectives. And it seems like it was a success.
What would you say was the hottest topic?
– A question that came up in almost every presentation and discussion was the issue of competence. What happens if the technology can continue to operate – but we can no longer find people who understand it? It became very clear that lifetime extension is not just about technology, but equally about competence and organizational issues.
Was there anything a speaker said that surprised you or that you found particularly interesting?
– Perhaps when Daniel Westlén, State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, asked why exactly 80 years should be the maximum lifespan for nuclear plants. If the equipment can continue to operate safely, why not extend it beyond that? This discussion resurfaced later, with the conclusion that the 80-year limit may have arisen more for administrative reasons rather than safety concerns.
Who received the longest applause?
– Oh, tough question. Perhaps Atte Harjanne, Member of Parliament from the Green Party in Finland, who spoke during the dinner. He discussed why he and his party support nuclear power. Not surprisingly for a Green politician, his stance is rooted in deep concern for the climate and the future, which, in a typically pragmatic Finnish way, has led to the conclusion that all proven fossil free solutions should be utilized.
Nuclear power sounds very serious—was there any laughter during the day?
– Oh yes. These are people who really enjoy each other’s company. I heard both intense discussions and laughter. When Anders Wik from Vattenfall Research & Development talked about how much has changed in the last 40 years, using photos of himself as an example, it was quite hard to stay serious.
What will you take with you for the next conference—and when will it be held?
– Right now, I’m mostly focusing on catching my breath after this conference. But I will definitely take away that presentations become even more valuable when they are followed by discussions. And that the topic of competence needs even more attention than we are already giving it.
Anything else you'd like to highlight?
– It’s easy to just acknowledge and thank the speakers – but I’d like to say that the participants are just as important. Ultimately, it is their engagement, interest, and willingness to discuss that make a conference successful and rewarding.