The role of Russia's nuclear company Rosatom dominated Finland's parliamentary debate here Wednesday about the permit of a planned nuclear power plant in northwestern Finland.

After Finnish energy giant Fortum announced its decision to invest in the Fennovoima nuclear power plant, the project would be able to meet the requirement of 60 percent European Union (EU) ownership.

Fortum agreed to invest in Fennovoima on condition that it has control of major hydro electric capacity in neighboring Russia.

According to the deal, Fortum and the Russian nuclear supplier Rosatom form a joint subsidiary for hydro electric production in northwestern Russia.

In the Finnish parliament, nuclear energy belongs to the themes where no party discipline is applied. Local media has predicted that the permit of the nuclear power plant will pass in a parliamentary vote on Friday.

The conservatives are strongest supporters of the plan, the social democrats and the center are split, while the strongest opposition comes from the green party.

The greens left the cabinet late summer in protest against the government decision to let the Fennovoima project progress despite changes from the original plans.

Conservative MP Marjo Matikainen-Kallstrom described the plan as patriotic and in the interest of Finland, while Ville Niinisto, chairman of the Green Party, said the project will make Finnish energy policy dependent on Russian interests.

On top the long term ideological differences in attitudes towards nuclear energy, the current tension between the EU and Russia on the Ukraine issue has added a political dimension to Finland's cooperation with Rosatom.

The Finnish government has a slim majority ownership in Fortum.

Tapio Kuula, CEO of Fortum, told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that Fortum had decided independently, and without government pressure, to join the Fennovoima project.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the value of the Fortum investments in Russia amount to four billion euros.

Following the earlier pullout of Germany's E.ON from the private Finnish nuclear power project, Fennovoima opted to use Russian technology and Rosatom became a major owner in 2013.