Local support for Hanhikivi 1 project reached an all-time high in Pyhäjoki and the neighboring municipalities
Support for Fennovoima’s nuclear power plant project has further strengthened in Pyhäjoki and the surrounding area. According to the survey results, 76.5 percent of Pyhäjoki residents support the Hanhikivi 1 project. A total of 71.1 percent of the residents of the entire study area are in favor of the project. Support has increased the most in Raahe.
The recently completed study shows that 76.5 percent of local people in Pyhäjoki support the Hanhikivi 1 project. That is 3.8 percentage points more compared to the survey conducted in December 2018 when the support was 72.7 percent. The previous record was in 2017, when 75 percent of people in Pyhäjoki welcomed the project.
“We are both humble and proud of our support. Over the past year, we have taken several steps forward in the project. Furthermore, a large proportion of the general public in Finland have a more positive view of nuclear power than before and consider it a sustainable form of energy. I believe that all of this is reflected in the project's support results”, states Fennovoima’s Regional Communications Manager Heli Haikola.
In total, 71.1 percent of the inhabitants of Pyhäjoki and its neighboring municipalities Kalajoki, Merijärvi, Oulainen and Raahe are in favor of the project. The support in the entire study area has risen by 3.9 percentage points over the year. The support in December 2018 was 67.2 percent.
Of the neighboring municipalities, support has increased the most in Raahe, where as much as 77.8 percent of the inhabitants support the Hanhikivi 1 project. A year earlier, 72.7 percent of the people of Raahe had a positive view of the project.
According to Haikola, the increase in support both in Pyhäjoki and in the surrounding municipalities is a sign that the local economic impacts of the project are already visible in the area.
“These include, for example, new jobs and services, housing and infrastructure construction, and overall positive vitality in the area.”
Norstat Finland interviewed a total of 855 randomly selected people by phone during October-November: 406 in Pyhäjoki and 449 in the nearby areas. The margin of error is ±3.3 percent. Fennovoima has commissioned surveys from Norstat Finland since 2008.
Further information
