OL3 EPR regular production of electricity starts in February 2022

Issues that have caused delays in the project schedule are slowly progressing system testing, technical problems that have been identified in tests, and the increase in the amount of maintenance work caused by project delay. Also the lack of necessary spare parts has taken time.

Technical problems that have emerged on the plant unit have now been solved, and the repair works are currently ongoing. Technical problems have been related to sea water system equipment, cracks in the pressurizer safety valves’ spring loaded pilot control valves, faulty components in emergency diesel generators and the pressurizer surge line vibration problem. Faulty cable insulation has been detected in certain automation cabinets and these will be repaired during the autumn.

- Due to COVID-19 pandemic works on OL3 construction site have continued under special arrangements and we are now getting ready for fuel loading on OL3, which is a big and important step for us. The remaining system testing, maintenance works and the repair works on the technical faults will be completed before the loading. Approximately 1500 nuclear professionals are now finalizing the project and the remaining works have been scheduled in detail. There are only few tens of commissioning tests remaining of the original amount 3000, OL3 Project Director Jouni Silvennoinen from TVO says.

According to the commissioning programme the plant unit produces 1-3 terawatt-hours of electricity with varying power output during the time starting from connecting to grid and ending to the start of regular electricity production.

The new Areva management appointed in the summer of 2020, is preparing a financial solution to finalize the project until the end of the guarantee period. TVO continues negotiations with Areva-Siemens-consortium on the terms for project completion.

The supplier consortium companies, AREVA GmbH, AREVA NP SAS and Siemens AG, have joint and several liability for the contractual obligations until the end of the guarantee period of the plant unit. According to the Global Settlement Agreement from 2018 OL3 plant supplier consortium is committed to ensure the adequacy of the funding reserved to finalize the OL3 EPR project as well as all warranty periods. For this purpose At the same instance a fund mechanism financed by Areva Companies was established to cover Areva’s costs of finalizing OL3 EPR project.

Further information:

Jouni Silvennoinen, OL3 Project Director

Interview requests:

Pasi Tuohimaa, Communication Manager, tel. +358 40 544 5001