Kai Mykkänen, chairman of the National Coalition Party’s parliamentary group, Member of Parliament and previously also served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development and Minister of the Interior, answered important and quite extensive questions – succinctly, in an interview with Ilmatar.
Mykkänen is known as an advocate of renewable energy with a vision of clean energy production in Finland by combining renewables and nuclear power. In his opinion, Finland has significant potential as an energy producer – all the way to becoming a superpower in the industry.
In my opinion, the aim should be at least to triple the annual production of electricity.
How do you see Finland’s energy production situation in 2035, including renewable energy, nuclear power, hydrogen economy and other sources – you can present your cautious, realistic and optimistic forecast?
– In my opinion, we should aim to triple the annual production of electricity from the current level. Fingrid predicts roughly doubling by 2030. The majority will be wind power. However, it is also important to take care of the additional construction of nuclear power and the power increases of hydropower. Their lack would slow down investments in the hydrogen economy and, in a way, deprive wind power of industrial electricity demand. Electrolysis and heavy industry cannot afford to be driven as strongly by wind as it would have to if the amount of wind power relative to the total volume of the Nordic electricity exchange Nordpool multiplied as drastically as it would without the increase in nuclear power and hydropower.
What are the greatest opportunities for Finland as a producer of renewable energy? What about the threats?
– The greatest opportunity is Europe’s largest surface area for potential onshore wind projects and exceptionally good conditions for offshore wind power. An important addition is the excellent main grid and the possibility to keep it as it is better than in Central Europe. The greatest threat to becoming a maximum clean energy superpower is probably that fluctuations in electricity prices become so large that not enough industry is created that processes electricity into products, and wind power thus cannibalizes its own business so that the price of electricity is at zero during windy periods and then when you get a price for electricity, there is no wind. Our problem in the competition between the Nordic countries is probably the lack of risk-taking domestic capital.
At the moment, licensing processes take too long for the international competitiveness of the whole country – how can this challenge be solved in different processing and decision-making bodies?
– By reducing the number of appeals, providing a guarantee for the processing time and combining permit processes into the same licensing agency, which would also ensure more national uniformity. More handlers are also needed, but this cannot be done simply by increasing resources, because not enough qualified lawyers apply for these jobs.
How does Kai Mykkänen take care of responsible energy use, have you saved electricity during the energy crisis?
– Yes, we lowered the temperature in the apartment and avoided using the heating power of our air-to-water heat pump during peak power hours, especially in November-December when the state of the national electricity system was tight. In addition, we mainly charge our electric cars at night. Laundry and dishwashers also run most often in the evening. However, we have to readily admit that our old detached house leaks too much upstairs, so an insulating renovation would certainly be in order.
How can Finland take pole position in the Nordic race for the hydrogen economy when Sweden, for example, has a significant steel industry and the hydrogen reserves it needs in clean steel production? Do we have similar arguments?
– We also have a significant steel industry, with the large factories in Raahe and Tornio at the forefront. SSAB’s Swedish CEO has also stated this winter that the transition to hydrogen reduction may be implemented first in Raahe and only later in Luleå, because licensing may progress faster in Finland and confidence in the availability of clean electricity and transmission connections is better on the Finnish side. So let’s not be fooled into the fact that Swedes always brand their situation more pompously!
It is essential to streamline the licensing process in electricity production, transmission and refining industry projects.
– But, the race is on! In particular, therefore, the locations of the electricity processing industry – because this industry comes in limited numbers and can genuinely choose sides – and is not tied to good wind spots. Wind power will arrive on both sides of the bay before long. And that is why the next government must take a bold and determined approach to making Finland a clean energy superpower and also saying it out loud. It is essential to streamline the licensing process in electricity production, transmission and refining industry projects. In addition, we must stay ahead of Sweden in improving nuclear conditions, both for smaller modular reactors and for larger-scale power plants.
Is Sweden a partner or a competitor to us in the energy competition?
– Both and. We compete fiercely for refining industry projects, and uncertainty about bottlenecks in electricity and hydrogen transmission makes it also competitive between power systems. At the same time, it is clear that, from the point of view of America or China, the question is, above all, whether the Nordic countries as a whole are recognised as a golden valley of the energy transition, where it is worth investing in electricity-refining activities rather than Central Europe, which is even struggling to compensate for the difficulties in obtaining natural gas, let alone multiply energy production.
What other measures can Finland take to succeed in the race for renewables, which has extremely significant environmental and economic potential?
– Predictability of taxation and other cost factors.
