Green League Member of Parliament Heidi Hautala has called for an independent international investigation into reports of negligence at the construction site of the Olkiluoto nuclear plant in south west Finland.
A report on YLE's Ajankohtainen Kakkonen investigative journalism programme revealed that for some time welding work conducted at the plant has not conformed to required procedure.
The programme also found that welders did not meet the required skill level for the job. Moreover, workers were said to have been tightly bound to non-disclosure agreements.
Hautala said that in light of these revelations, it's impossible to trust the attitude towards safety of power generation company Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) and the French construction contractor Bouygues.
Hautala also questioned the role of the Radiation and Safety Authority in the entire situation. The Authority has claimed that the lax safety standards at the site related only to non-critical site welding.
The Green Parliamentarian said that the impartiality of the Authority's board would be guaranteed by transferring responsibility for nuclear safety oversight to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry for the Environment or the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Hautala said the number of blunders that have occurred at the Olkiluoto 3 construction site show once again that nuclear energy is not a panacea for satisfying global energy needs.