Electricity generation at the EPR reactor at unit 3 of Finland’s Olkiluoto nuclear power plant has been postponed to the first half of February, instead of the end of January.
Regular electricity generation will start as previously announced in June 2022, owner-operator power utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) said.
In connection with the trial operation of the nuclear power plant and related tests, the plant unit and its safety systems are tested and the behaviour according to the plant's design is ensured. Reactor emergency shutdowns will also be implemented as planned in the tests of the test operation phase, TVO said.
The main reason for the postponement of the start of electricity generation is the unplanned reactor shutdown that occurred on 14 January. “The reasons for the quick shutdown have been clarified and corrective action has now been taken, but they caused a delay in the trial run. Currently, the test programme is progressing normally,” TVO noted.
The OL3 EPR plant supplier consortium constructed the plant under a fixed-price turnkey contract. The consortium of plant suppliers includes AREVA GmbH, AREVA NP SAS and Siemens AG, which are jointly and severally liable for the obligations under the plant supply contract until the end of the plant unit's warranty period. Construction of OL3 began in 2005. Completion of the reactor was originally scheduled for 2009, but the project has faced a series of delays and setbacks.
Photo: Olkiluoto 3 is expected to start generating electricity in mid-February (Credit: TVO)
