Richard Moisy: 'Expert project that went on for longer than expected'

Richard Moisy, who works in the Maintenance organisation of the Olkiluoto 3 power plant unit, admits that the expert project in Finland turned out to be longer than anticipated. But he shrugs it off and looks at the funny side.

– I have often been asked how I’m coping with it. My answer is always: “Still alive”.

Experience in submarines has been a great help in this project: as long as there’s life, there’s hope. This attitude is like the Finnish “sisu”.

I hope that after I retire, somebody at TVO will remember the attitude and the knowledge that I have wanted to pass on.

The road that took the French expert to Eruajoki’s Olkiluoto has been long and winding. Born in Paris in 1957, Richard Moisy started medical studies after high school, but had to drop out and seek employment due to his father’s poor health.

– I joined the French Navy in 1978 and started studies in engineering at the French Naval Academy a couple of years later. I worked in the Navy until 2003, for example as an engineer in nuclear submarines and as technical support for the submarine fleet, Richard Moisy explains.

Nice house to live in Rauma

After his naval career, Richard Moisy set up his own business providing technical expert services until his entrepreneur career ended after the 2008 financial crisis.

– Areva contacted me in later 2009 and invited me to the Olkiluoto 3 project to conduct system tests. My area of responsibility in the project also covered solutions for building services during the construction period, such as power supply, heating and ventilation systems.

Richard Moisy’s family have found a home in Finland over the 11 years. They live in Rauma where they found a single-family house that was just right for their family. Although Richard Moisy plans to retire after the Olkiluoto 3 project, he wants to stay in Finland.

– Our daughter has grown up in the Finnish society since she was 2 years old. Now at the age of almost 14, leaving a country where she has been really happy would by a major life change.

The Moisys are a family with five children, two of them living in Finland.

– Our three other children work in France and Belgium. We also have five grandchildren in France.

Richard Moisy fell in love with Finland as soon as he started working in Olkiluoto some 11 years ago.

– I was especially fascinated by the vicinity of the sea in Olkiluoto and the integrity of Finnish people. Personally, I have found Finns to be more genuine and direct in character than the French.

Nuclear power is something to hold on to

At present, Richard Moisy works as an expert in the Maintenance organisation of Olkiluoto 3. One of his duties is to make sure the plant supplier provides all the necessary information to TVO for future maintenance activities.

– I want to support dialogue between the different parties to the project and highlight the significance of nuclear safety as the basis for decision-making. I particularly stress that a high standard of diligence is also economically sensible in maintenance operations at a nuclear power plant unit.

Richard Moisy emphasises precision and attentiveness to details, because as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. Even small matters can have enormous effects and human factors always have a role to play.

– I have watched the work life culture from the perspective of both Areva and TVO. I appreciate TVO’s principles very highly, because safety issues are seen as the key starting point for all operations. Perhaps the Finns could be a bit more unyielding when it comes to negotiations, Richard Moisy says.

Text Timo Sillanpää
Photo Natalie Kylliäinen

The story was originally published in TVO Group's News from Olkiluoto 1/2022