Olkiluoto 3 European pressurised reactor project, Finland – update

7th January 2022

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

Name of the Project
Olkiluoto (OL) 3 European pressurised reactor (EPR) project.

Location
Western Finland.

Project Owner/s
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO).

Project Description
The project involves the construction of the OL3 nuclear power plant unit, which will include an EPR adjacent to the existing OL1 and OL2 units.

OL3 will have an output of about 1 600 MW and once operating at full capacity, the OL3 plant will produce about 13 TWh/y of electricity and meet about 14% of Finland's electricity demand.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project is estimated at more than €3-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Grid connection is scheduled for October 2021, with regular electricity production due to start in February 2022.

Completion of the reactor was originally scheduled for 2009, but the project has had various delays and setbacks.

Latest Developments
World Nuclear News reported in December 2021 that the OL3 EPR project had progressed faster than previously communicated. "On this basis, TVO has submitted a permission application for making the reactor critical and conducting low-power tests," TVO said.

During the low-power tests, the unit will not yet be connected to the national electricity grid.

Once the permission has been granted, TVO will communicate its potential effects on the schedule for starting electricity production.

The Areva-Siemens consortium is building the OL3 plant under a fixed-price turnkey contract. They have joint liability for the contractual obligations until the end of the guarantee period of the unit.

TVO reached an agreement with the plant supplier regarding the terms of the OL3 project completion in May. At the time, it said the OL3 plant was scheduled to be connected to the grid in October 2021 and to begin regular electricity production in February 2022.

TVO announced in August that, as a result of extended turbine overhaul and inspection works, there would be a further three-month delay to the reactor's startup, with first criticality expected in January 2022, initial electricity production in February 2022 and regular electricity production in June 2022.

Fuel has already been loaded into the core of OL3. The reactor is in a commissioning phase during which TVO has conducted a new series of hot functional tests to verify the plant's systems work correctly.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Areva–Siemens Consortium, comprising Areva GmbH, Areva NP SAS and Siemens AG (plant supplier).

Contact Details for Project Information
TVO, +358 2 83 811.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION