Life next to a nuclear power plant: stories and experiences
We visited people living next to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in Finland people to understand what everyday life is like in the neighbourhood of a nuclear power plant through real-life experiences.
Olkiluoto nuclear power plant
The Olkiluoto power plant consists of three nuclear reactors.
Their total electrical capacity is 3 380 MW, which is about twice Estonia's historical peak electricity consumption.
In 2024, 28% of the electricity consumed in Finland will be produced at the Olkiluoto plants.
Nature around the nuclear plant
Let's start with an overview of the natural territory next to the plant. About 700 metres from the visitor centre, there is a view of the surroundings that gives a good idea of the landscape around the plant. The video shows what the green nature area immediately around the plant looks like. In autumn 2025, Marie Sinivee, a trainee at Fermi Energia, visited Olkiluoto to see the conditions and the people living there.
🏡 The nearest houses to the Olkiluoto plant are about 3 km away.
🏡 In 2022, there will be around 50-60 people living permanently within a 5 km radius.
🏡 The nearest holiday cottages are about 0.5 km away, and there are about 550 cottages or holiday homes within a 5 km radius.
🏡 There are four primary schools about 10 km away: Kuivalahati, Linnamaa, Lapijoki and Kaaro schools.
Living next to a nuclear power plant: local experience
According to Finnish statistics, the municipality of Eurajoki, where the Olkiluoto plant is located, will have a population of 9 236 in 2022.
There are three important centres in the vicinity of the plant: the centre of Eurajoki municipality, the city of Rauma (39 000 inhabitants) and the city of Pori (83 000 inhabitants).
Interviews with Rauma residents | 12 km from the plant
Interviews with residents of Eurajoki | 15 km from the plant
Vesa Lakaniemi, Mayor of Eurajoki Municipality
Vesa Lakaniemi, the mayor of Eurajoki municipality, explains how he, as the head of the municipality, feels about the neighbouring nuclear power plant: how it will support the local community, what jobs it will create in the area, and what advice he could give to Estonian residents facing similar decisions.
Olkiluoto engineers speak
Insener Tommi Tupala explains who lives on the Olkiluoto peninsula next to the plant and where the people who work there come from. He describes how there are many summer cottages in the vicinity of the plant and no restrictions on boating, swimming or fishing.
Insener Timo Nerve explains why a boiling water reactor (the same type of reactor planned for Estonia) is a good solution and how spent fuel is managed.
Anne Niemi, a former nurse and Finland's first licensed female nuclear plant operator, explains how she came to work at a nuclear power plant, her training and her day-to-day work. She also talks about how TVO supports the local community and how there is constant communication between the plant operator and the people living within a 5 km radius. He will also give advice on what people in Estonia, where the plant is planned, can do.
Finnish nuclear waste solution
The world's first nuclear waste repository - Onkalo - is located on the same peninsula as the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.
Estonians' impressions of the Olkiluoto Express
For several years, Fermi Energia has been taking people living in areas of Estonia where a nuclear power plant is being considered to visit nuclear power plants in Finland. We have collected their impressions and feedback after the visit.
Nuclear power plant control room
Turbine Hall
Steam turbine replacement
Generator Hall
Nuclear power plant planning in Estonia
In Estonia, a special national planning process is under way to find the most suitable location for a nuclear power plant. You can read more about it at fermi.ee/REP.