| Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant | |
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Olkiluoto island with two existing nuclear power plants. Operation of the third unit is currently scheduled to start in 2014. (Image manipulated) |
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| Country | Finland |
| Location | Eurajoki |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1973 |
| Commission date | 10 October 1979 |
| Owner(s) | Teollisuuden Voima Oy |
| Reactor information | |
| Reactors operational | 2×860 MW |
| Reactors under construction | 1×1,600 MW |
| Reactors planned | 1×1,000–1,800 MW |
| Reactor supplier(s) | ASEA-Atom (units 1 and 2) Areva (unit 3) |
| Turbine manufacturer(s) | Stal-Laval (units 1 and 2) Siemens (unit 3) |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 1,720 MW |
| Annual generation | 14,268 GW·h |
| Net generation | 323,760 GW·h |
| Website www.tvo.fi |
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| As of 24 October 2010 | |
The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant (Finnish: Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos) is on Olkiluoto Island, which is on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia in the municipality of Eurajoki in western Finland. It is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit VVER Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is operated by Teollisuuden Voima, a subsidiary of Pohjolan Voima.
The Olkiluoto plant consists of two Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) with 860 MWe each. Unit 3, the first EPR (European Pressurized water Reactor) is under construction, but various problems with workmanship and supervision have created costly delays which have been the subject of an inquiry by the Finnish nuclear regulator Säteilyturvakeskus (STUK).[1] A license for a fourth reactor to be built at the site was granted by the Finnish parliament in July 2010.[2]
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Units 1 and 2 consists of two BWRs with 860 MW each.[3] These were supplied by ASEA-Atom, now a part of Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB. Turbine generators were supplied by Stal-Laval. The units' architecture was designed by ASEA-Atom. Reactor pressure vessels were constructed by Uddcomb Sweden AB, and reactor internal parts, mechanical components by Finnatom. Electrical equipment was supplied by Oy Strömberg Ab.[4] Unit 1 was constructed by Atomirakennus and unit 2 by Jukola and Työyhtymä.[5][6] Unit 1 achieved its initial criticality in July 1978 and it started commercial operations in October 1979.[5] Unit 2 achieved its initial criticality in October 1979 and it started commercial operations in July 1982.[6]
The first license application for the third reactor (EPR) was made in December 2000[7] and the original commissioning date of the third reactor was set to May 2009.[8] However, in May 2009 the plant was "at least three and a half years behind schedule and more than 50 percent over-budget".[9][10][11] The commissioning deadline has been postponed several times and as of November 2011 operation is set to start in 2014.[12]
The reactor pressure vessel was installed on 21 June 2010.[13]
The project was started by Areva NP, a joint venture of AREVA and Siemens, but Siemens withdrew and sold its share to AREVA.[14] Work began on the Olkiluoto EPR in 2005, but various problems with workmanship have created delays:
First to come to light were irregularities in foundation concrete, which caused work to slow on site for months. Later it was found that subcontractors had provided heavy forgings that were not up to project standards and which had to be re-cast. An apparent problem constructing the reactor's unique double-containment structure has also caused delays.[1]
According to Professor Stephen Thomas, "Olkiluoto has become an example of all that can go wrong in economic terms with new reactors".[9] Areva and the utility involved "are in bitter dispute over who will bear the cost overruns and there is a real risk now that the utility will default".[9] The project has also been criticized by the Finnish nuclear safety regulator, STUK, because "instructions have not been observed in the welding of pipes and the supervision of welding."[1] STUK has also noted that there have been delays in submitting proper paperwork.[15][16][17][18] Olkiluoto 3 was supposed to be the first "third generation" reactor which would pave the way for a new wave of identical reactors - safe, affordable, and delivered on time - across Europe. The delays and cost overruns have had knock-on effects in other countries.[19]
Yleisradio quotes an anonymous Polish labourer who was alledgedly paid 1.5 € per hour in Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant construction project in Finland. This is below the minimum wage by law and the national agreements of the construction industry.[20]
On 14 February 2008, Teollisuuden Voima submitted an environmental impact assessment of the unit four to the Ministry of Employment and Economy.[21] On 21 April 2010, the Government of Finland decided to grant a permit to Teollisuuden Voima for construction of the fourth reactor in Olkiluoto. The decision was approved by the Parliament on 1 July 2010.[2] If constructed, the fourth unit would be a PWR or BWR with a power output of 1,000 to 1,800 MWe.[21]
After the Finnish Nuclear Energy Act[22] was amended in 1994 to specify that all nuclear waste produced in Finland must be disposed of in Finland, Olkiluoto was selected in 2000 as the site for a (very) long-term underground storage facility for Finland's spent nuclear fuel.
The facility, named "Onkalo" ("cave" or "cavity")[23] is being built in the granite bedrock a few miles from the Olkiluoto power plants. The municipality of Eurajoki issued a building permit for the facility in August 2003 and excavation began in 2004.[24]
The plans for the facility consist of four phases:
The Onkalo repository is expected to be large enough to accept canisters of spent fuel for around one hundred years, i.e. until around 2120.[25] At this point, the final encapsulation and burial will take place and the access tunnel backfilled and sealed.