Finland, eager to avoid power shortages ahead of tighter EU carbon emission policies, is building a fifth nuclear reactor and seeing new plans emerging from an industry keen to build more. Following are key facts about nuclear power in Finland, Europe and the world.

FINLAND'S 5TH REACTOR
* Finland's parliament voted in 2002 to allow utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) to build the new reactor at Olkiluoto, on the western coast, the first such decision to build a new nuclear plant in Western Europe for more than a decade.
* The pressurised water unit is being built by a consortium led by France's Areva and Germany's Siemens.
* The total cost of the plant, Finland biggest single industrial investment, is about 3 billion euros.
* The new plant was originally scheduled to come on line in 2009 but was then put off until late 2010, and again until the start of 2011, due to slower-than-expected construction works.
* Finland's 1,600 megawatt Olkiluoto 3 reactor will be the world's largest single unit when it comes on line in 2011 and is seen as a test-case among older EU member states wary of piling back into nuclear projects. France, which uses almost 80 percent nuclear power, aims to have a new 1,600 megawatt unit on line a year later.
* Since the new plant was agreed, industry-controlled TVO and utility Fortum have already launched studies on new plants in Olkiluoto and Loviisa on the southeastern coast.
* A newly set up venture Fennovoima, backed by Germany's E.ON, also plans a nuclear plant in Finland, and Sweden's Vattenfall has also expressed interest.

FINLAND'S ENERGY MIX
* Total energy consumption in 2006: Oil 24 percent, wood fuels 20 percent, nuclear energy 16 percent, natural gas 15 percent, coal 11 percent, peat 6 percent, hydro power 3 percent, net imports of electricity 3 percent, and other 2 percent.

NUCLEAR ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE AND GLOBALLY
* Worldwide there are 437 working reactors, with 30 under construction, 74 planned and 182 proposed.
* Nuclear power supplies 16 percent of the world's electricity and 34 percent of the European Union's.
* Nuclear power proponents say it is a clean power source that, in contrast to fossil fuels, does not emit climate-warming carbon dioxide. They also say its fuel can be easily stockpiled and does not leave countries at the mercy of oil and gas exporting nations such as Russia.
* 15 of the EU's 27 members have nuclear power plants, with the percentage of electricity supplied ranging from 78 percent in France to just 3.5 percent in the Netherlands.
* Attitudes vary across the bloc. France has committed to renewing its reactor fleet, Finland is building a new plant, Germany and Sweden have committed to phasing out nuclear power and the Dutch have reversed a previous decision to phase it out.
* France is Europe's nuclear champion with 58 reactors: it is building a new unit at Flamanville due to be finished in 2012.
* Italy used to have four nuclear power reactors, but it shut down the last two after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. It is considering building new nuclear capacity.
* Among the EU's newer members, ex-communist Lithuania has teamed up with Poland and other Baltic states to plan a new nuclear plant in the country. Also Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia have plans to build new reactors.
* Nuclear power accounts for 20 percent of electricity in the United States and the government is actively promoting new nuclear plants through tax breaks.
* Boom economy China gets just 1.9 percent of its electricity from 11 nuclear reactors, but four more are under construction, 23 are in the planning stages and there are proposals for another 54.
(Planet Ark, The World Nuclear Association and Statistics Finland, 10/07/2007)