According to the results of a survey carried out by Kantar Emor in January, 68% of the survey respondents support or rather support the consideration of a new generation nuclear power plant to ensure Estonia's security of electricity supply.
Compared to the August 2021 survey, the share of "rather yes" respondents has increased from 30% to 32%, and the share of clear "yes" respondents has increased from 27% to 36%. There has also been a significant increase in the proportion of women in favour of nuclear power, from 40% in favour or somewhat in favour in August to 54% in January. Male support has remained significantly higher over the years, reaching 83% most recently.
"High gas and electricity prices this autumn have made people seriously interested in energy and realise that in the Nordic countries you can't just count on good weather. Estonia is mature enough to seriously consider replacing 20th century oil shale energy with a new generation of 21st century nuclear energy in ten years' time," said Kalev Kallemets, CEO of Fermi Energia.
The survey also asked which type of electricity generation the respondent favours developing in Estonia, in view of the reduction of electricity generation from oil shale. Wind energy was the most preferred option (57%), followed by a new generation nuclear power plant (52%) and solar energy (50%). 20% would support shale electricity in addition to oil production, 15% would support burning wood chips and only 10% would support the development of natural gas.
Respondents were also able to point out the main pros and cons of developing a small modular reactor in Estonia. The main positives were security of electricity supply in all weathers and lower electricity prices, while the issue of nuclear waste storage and, to a lesser extent, the risk of accidents (also with the new technology) were seen as the main positive impacts.
Kantar Emor conducts surveys twice a year on behalf of Fermi Energia to measure the attitudes of Estonian society towards the consideration and deployment of a new generation of small modular reactors in Estonia.
