Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, which has suffered significant delays, has started producing electricity at full power and regular operation is expected to start in December 2022, operator TVO said on Friday.
“The plant is now the most powerful electricity production facility in Europe,” TVO said in a statement.
With a power level of 1,600 MW, the plant located on the southwest coast of the Nordic country, also became the third most powerful power generation facility in the world, the company said.
TVO had indicated at the beginning of September that the total power of almost 1,600 megawatts should be reached “by the beginning of October”.
12 years late
The new OL3 reactor is being closely monitored in Finland, where it is expected to meet the energy challenges of the coming winter.
Around 40% of Finland’s electricity generation comes from Olkiluoto, with the OL1 and OL2 reactors together producing around 21% and OL3 only around 19%.
The reactor, built by the French consortium Areva-Siemens, entered service in March 12 years late after suffering a long series of failures.
Regular production was due to start this summer but was postponed until December after “foreign matter” was observed in the turbine’s steam burner.
TVO said the remaining ten rounds of testing will affect power levels in the coming months.
“In some of the upcoming tests, the output of the generating unit is intentionally interrupted or the power level is reduced,” the company said.
The European Model Pressure Reactor was designed to revive nuclear power in Europe after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and was promoted as offering higher power and better safety.
Source: BFM TV
