If the entire Baltic Sea were emptied of water, not even half of Russia's gas would fit into the space left. This incomprehensible volume of environmentally-friendly energy is just waiting for a road to be opened to take it to the vast European market, and the most direct route from the northern fields happens to run through Finland. In spring 1997 Gazprom, which owns enormous gas reserves, and Fortum set up the joint-venture North TransGas to examine alternative routes that a pipeline through Finland could follow. The aim is to have a really big tap ready to be turned on in the year 2005. On the whole, energy policy is a hot issue.
Nuclear power generates a lot of electricity in countries like France, and also in Finland.
In many countries, however, this alternative is politically awkward. Burning coal pollutes the atmosphere most and the Rio environmental conventions limit the scale on which this alternative can be used. Hydroelectric power is a good solution in many ways, but there is not much more of it available. Solar and wind energy will not meet our primary needs. Against that background, interest in gas has been constantly growing.