Greenpeace campaigners breached security at the construction site of a nuclear reactor in Finland this morning.

The 10 activists entered the site at Olkiluoto at 8.30am and are demanding that the Finnish nuclear safety inspectorate release details of the 700 safety violations that have been identified during construction.

These violations include faults with the steel liner, which is meant to prevent the release of radioactive contamination, where 49 large holes were cut in the wrong places, as well as using illegal welding methods[i].

The nuclear reactor type, known in the industry as a European pressurised water reactor (EPR), is the first of its kind to be built in Europe, and is the design most likely to be built in the UK if the Government gives the go-ahead to a new wave of nuclear power stations.

However, in December 2006, after 16 months of construction, the French company Areva, who are building the reactor, announced that it was already 18 months behind schedule and £700 million (€473 million) over budget.

Nathan Argent, nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "As the only construction of its kind in Europe, this reactor site at Olkiluoto is the nuclear industry's equivalent of their show home. But it's somehow indicative of this dangerous industry that their show home is ridiculously over budget and plagued with hundreds of safety violations.

"This new reactor is a perfect example of how nuclear power is nothing more than a dangerous and expensive distraction from the real solutions to climate change. There are much cheaper, safer and secure solutions to tackling climate change, such as renewable technologies and increased energy efficiency."

In February, after Greenpeace took them to the High Court, the UK Government's decision to back a new fleet of nuclear power stations was declared to be unlawful.

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For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.

Why nuclear power isn't the answer to climate change:

• 10 new nuclear power stations would only cut the UK's CO2 emissions by 4%. This would be wiped out by the predicted rise in aircraft emissions alone.
• New nuclear power is not a relevant or timely response to the immediate need to reduce C02 emissions. Any nuclear new build programme would not see the first reactor come online until around 2018 at the earliest, with the main delivery of the programme not arriving until around 2025-2030. C02 emissions need to be cut years before.
• Nuclear power's effect on C02 emissions is very small. Although nuclear power currently provides about 20% of our electricity (reactor problems regularly reduce this), it only provides 3.6% of the UK's total energy.
• Nuclear power stations only marginally address hot water and central heating needs, and don't meet needs for transport at all.
• There is no safe solution to nuclear waste.
• There is a much cheaper, better way to meet our energy needs and cut C02 emissions. A decentralised energy system will slash C02 and cost far less than a new generation of nuclear power stations, making maximum use of combined heat and power and renewable energy.

[i] STUK Investigation Report 1/06, July 10 2006

Greenpeace activists from across Europe launched a dawn protest this morning at the Botnia pulp mill and the Stora Enso paper mill in the northern Finnish town of Kemi. Unfurling a banner reading "Stop ancient Forest Destruction", forty protestors blocked the main entrances to both mills, preventing deliveries of timber taken from Europe's last ancient forests in northern Lapland.

The world's largest paper company, Stora Enso, and one of Europe's largest pulp producers, Botnia, were today accused of destroying huge tracts of Europe's last remaining ancient forests in Finnish Lapland to make paper for well-known magazines in Europe.

Greenpeace research has shown that Stora Enso uses timber from ancient forest destruction to make magazine paper for nearly all of the leading European publishing houses and supplies almost all leading envelope producers.

"Unless magazine publishers in the UK like IPC and EMP want to be associated with the destruction of thousand year old forests, they should be putting pressure on their suppliers to ensure that they are not sourcing fibre from this area of Finland," said Greenpeace campaigner Ben Ayliffe.

The Finnish government are also linked to this scandal, as the state-owned logging company Metsähallitus recently logged in a number of areas of ancient forests in northern Lapland to supply pulp to the mills at Kemi. The Finnish government also owns around a 25 per cent stake in Stora Enso. Recently, 250 Finnish scientists appealed for a halt to the logging in ancient forests in northern Finland because of the damage it was causing.

"The best way to guarantee your paper is not coming from Europe's last remaining ancient forests is to maximise recycled content and only use virgin fibre that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council," added Ayliffe.

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For more information contact the Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255

London - The resumption of logging in Finland's ancient forests could mean Santa's magical homeland won't be around much longer in its current state. Worse still, Lapland's most famous animal, the reindeer, which usually fly Mr Claus and his sleigh of presents across the globe on Christmas Eve, could also be in jeopardy.

Three years ago, the Finnish government's logging arm, Metsähallitus, halted logging of old growth forests in Santa's homeland of Lapland, following protests from environmental groups such as Greenpeace. In February this year, it protected 30,000 hectares of these forests. However, 35,000 hectares remained under threat and now some of these areas are once again being logged.

At Christmas time, the reindeer of Lapland rely on tree lichen, which only grows in these forest areas, for vital nutrients during the harsh winter months.

Finland has some of the last remaining ancient forests in Europe, which are important for hundreds of animals such as the reindeer, golden eagle, the endangered flying squirrel and the three-toed woodpecker.

Pat Venditti, Greenpeace's senior forest campaigner said, "Rudolph and his reindeer friends could go hungry this Christmas because logging is wiping out the trees their food grows on. Without this critical energy source how can the reindeer pull Santa's sleigh on his one-night global present giving bonanza?"

"There's absolutely no reason for these pristine ancient forests to be trashed. If Rudolph could be granted a Christmas wish, I'm sure he'd ask for this destruction to stop."

The logged timber will be used by the pulp and paper companies Stora Enso, UPM, Botnia and M-Real. Since the UK is the second largest market place for Finnish fibre, this could mean that very soon this fibre will end up in the supply chain of magazine companies like EMAP and book publishers like Hodder Headline, Orion, Little Brown and Octopus.

Ancient forest destruction is also contributing to climate change. Deforestation accounts for a staggering 18 per cent of global carbon emissions - more than is produced by the transport sector.

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For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.

Photographs available on request.