Plans by the Helsinki energy firm Helen to construct a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in the city are moving forward.
The city-owned firm is now considering three possible sites for an SMR, according to Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet.
They include areas at two existing power plants — in the Vuosaari and Ruoholahti districts. An area in Östersundom, in the far east of the city limits, is also being considered, according to the paper.
It said that Helen has been working on its small-scale nuclear power programme for just over a year now, with an aim to build an SMR that would provide consistent electricity production, regardless of weather conditions.
At the moment electricity prices and availability can be dramatically affected, for example, on days when there isn't enough wind power.
The company plans to complete the first phase of its SMR programme by 2026, and to have the first reactor built in the early 2030s, according to HBL.
Helen has started an environmental impact assessment regarding the three areas being considered.
The City of Helsinki will be in charge of planning the project, which will need approval from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), the paper explained.
Helen and the planners are also looking into options of the SMR only producing heat as well as a reactor that generates both heat and electricity.
According to Helen's CEO, Olli Sirkka, having energy production in the capital would help balance the entire country's electricity grid and smooth price fluctuations.
He noted that electricity demand in the capital area is expected to rise sharply in the coming years.
Russian churches
Russian Orthodox churches operating in Finland under the Moscow Patriarchate take part in Russian-state influencing activities, according to the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo).
However, the security agency said those activities are not extensive, according to newspaper Iltalehti.
At the moment there are five churches in Finland operating under guidance from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, with total congregations of an estimated 4,300 members, the paper explained.
It said that Patriarch Kirill is known to be a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an outspoken supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Like Putin, Kirill has also served as a KGB agent — and the Russian spy group's successor, the FSB, the paper wrote.
"The Russian state and Orthodox Church have a close relationship and common goals. The Church has openly supported Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine," Supo told IL.
The newspaper said it asked Supo whether the churches under the Moscow Patriarchate in Finland were linked to Russian state intelligence activities in the country — or whether the churches could be used in Russia's hybrid influencing activities.
Iltalehti also asked Supo whether the Finnish intel agency had made a threat assessment of the churches' activities.
IL said that Supo only offered brief answers via email through its communications unit. The agency did not take a direct stance on some of the queries.
However, Supo did say that it is interested in the influencing activities of foreign states, such as Russia.
"In addition to influencing, religious and other communities can be utilized in the intelligence of foreign countries," Supo's statement read.
At the same time Supo said it would not comment on its operational activities.
"Speaking at a general level, Supo has a good picture of the situation of Russian intelligence in Finland, which is what the assessments we have presented publicly are based on. Additionally, a reserved attitude towards Russia has weakened the conditions for its influence in Finland in recent years," Supo's email response read.
Yle News' All Points North podcast delved into Russian espionage in Finland.
Finland's old cars
Automobile service stations are dealing with queues of old cars needing repair, according to newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.
As examples, IS pointed to an article in the Tampere daily Aamulehti, which heard mechanics blame Finland's large number of old vehicles for the development.
"People don't change their cars or buy new ones very often," Jari Tuomisto, a mechanic who works at a service station in Sastamala, told Aamulehti.
Such sentiments were echoed elsewhere, including by Mikko Reikoja who manages a Mekonomen repair shop branch in Sastamala. He said that car sales have "stopped", resulting in an exceptionally high workload for mechanics.
Another repair worker said that older cars are increasingly common these days — and some have long-overdue repairs to be done, according to IS.
The paper cited the Finnish Automotive Information Centre's data that the average age of cars on Finnish roads is nearly 14 years. Meanwhile, the average age of cars in Sweden is 11 years, in Denmark 9.6 years and in Norway, around 11.1 years, it reported.
Additionally, in terms of new car registrations, Finland is closer to new vehicle purchase levels seen in Greece and Hungary than its Nordic neighbours.
The paper noted that the auto industry projected in July that it expected around 74,500 new cars would be registered by the end of the year. However, twice as many would be needed to help decrease the average age of cars in the country, according to Ilta-Sanomat.
On Thursday, Yle News reported that parliament has approved a law that will allow the state to pay rebates to people who turn in their old cars and buy new, lower-emission vehicles.
Approval of the so-called 'cash-for-clunkers' programme enabled new car buyers to apply for the rebates right away. It went into effect retroactively at the beginning of October and is set to continue until the end of 2027.
