This paper examines the building of a new nuclear plant as a greenfield operation in Pyhäjoki, Finland. A newly-founded energy company, Fennovoima, was granted a license by the Finnish parliament to build a new power plant in 2010. In the years following this Decision in Principle the project faced several obstacles. Through interviews with key actors, this paper identifies the interests and core beliefs associated with building the plant. It posits that, in Finland, the underlying ideas and

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... ues surrounding nuclear energy are deeply embedded in conventional belief, or 'doxa'-like, and as such are very difficult to challenge or change. Through the lens of this example, it offers suggestions and conclusions concerning the more general social logic behind energy policy decisions in the Finnish context and why nuclear energy has become a hegemonic solution in the Finnish polity. The paper also discusses the viewpoint of geopolitics, which has had historical relevance and has become of paramount concern in the current world situation.