Russian nuclear energy diplomacy in Finland and Hungary
Pallavi Pal; Pami Aalto; Heino Nyyssönen; Matti Kojo
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021042718617
Tiivistelmä
We compare Russian nuclear energy diplomacy towards
Finland and Hungary, where the Russian state corporation
Rosatom intends to build nuclear power plants by the 2020s.
Russian nuclear energy diplomacy features Rosatom working
with other state institutions, its own subsidiaries and an
extensive network of companies and R&D actors to support
Russian nuclear power projects abroad. Using the structuration
approach, we find three interests driving such diplomacy:
energy business and associated profits; modernization of the
Russian economy, including the diversification of its export
structure; while foreign policy interests are also involved,
considering the constraints emerging in EU-Russia energy
diplomacy in the oil and gas sectors, including the sanctions
since 2014. Some domestic actors in Finland and Hungary
make the linkage between nuclear energy and foreign policy
as explicit as do some western commentators. Seeking to
pursue these interests, Russian actors must accommodate
their considerable assets to the structural constraints they
encounter in the target countries. We identify four structural
dimensions The Russian actors are well endowed as regards
the resources, technology, and infrastructure dimension;
and the dimension of finance, business models, and
markets. However, on the institutional dimension they face
a less controllable environment. Regarding the ecological
dimension, they must conform to local safety requirements.
In both cases, Russian actors were able to strengthen
perceptions of joint interests with actors in the target country
facilitating the nuclear power plant projects, thereby paving
the way for the use of soft power.
Kokoelmat
- Rinnakkaistallenteet [19207]