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.