Significant updates at OL1 and OL2 plant units on automation systems that have served faithfully
As is well known, Olkiluoto plant units 1 and 2 have generated electricity for the needs of the Finnish society already for more than four decades. Both units have been modernised throughout their history and the same approach continues also today. At present, an I&C modernisation project is ongoing, designed to completely revamp a significant proportion of reactor automation and operational automation systems.
The ongoing updating project is a long-term venture. This is reflected in the project schedule which shows that the first installation works were completed already during the 2021 annual outage, while the very last installations will take place in the 2030 outages.
The first maintenance processes in the spring of 2021 included the replacement of relays and protection switches, precisely in keeping with the plan
-The project continued in the annual outages of this spring, with cards for the control system added in the scope of the replacement programme, explain Project Manager Waltteri Skogberg and Project Head Mauri Viitasalo who are in charge of the project.
Both of the plant units in Olkiluoto that are in commercial production have already for quite some time ranked at top positions in international comparison with their high load factors. Since early 1990s, the average load factor of the OL1 and OL2 plants has been 93–97 percent. The high load factors are an indication of the reliable operation of the plant units.
The global averages of load factors of nuclear power plants have regularly been under 90 percent, although they are showing an increase according to the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). In the most recent statistics, the average load factor of all the nuclear power plants in the world was 88 percent.
Text: Elina Heikkilä and Ville Kulmala
Image: Tapani Karjanlahti