Future professionals of countries moving toward nuclear seek further knowledge in Olkiluoto
I am an introvert by nature and a great fan of heavy metal music. This makes me more than happy to visit Finland, stated Abdurrahman Abdulmotteleb at the Olkiluoto Visitor Centre. He had come to Finland to attend the nuclear safety training provided by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland together with the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA. The course also included a one-day visit to Olkiluoto. All in all, there were 20 participants in the course, most of them from countries that are only just starting to plan or commission nuclear power.
The visit to Olkiluoto was an exception in the programme of the one-week course. The participants spent most of their time in STUK’s facilities attending lectures and carrying out exercises.
-I do think this visit was for many of them the highlight of the week, admits Kaisa Pellinen from STUK who spent the whole week with the course attendants. For her, Olkiluoto was familiar of old and appears in her work history over a period of several years.
TVO’s Main Engineer Tommi Lamminpää gave the course attendants an insight into the nuclear operators’ viewpoint and nuclear safeguards, in particular.
Quite many of the participants represented authorities, so it was great to also include the operators’ viewpoint, Pellinen praises.
The arrangements for the Olkiluoto visit were handled by TVO Nuclear Services Oy. The course organised in Finland attracted a total of 20 people from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Middle-Eastern countries. We asked a few of them to describe their impressions of Olkiluoto.
Jedrzej Lukasiewicz from Poland represents Orlen Synthos Green Energy that is about to build the first Small Modular Reactor unit, SMR, in the country.
-I found it extremely interesting to see how things are organised here. The visit to the repository for low and intermediate-level waste was interesting and we had an excellent guide.
Michael Ebenezer Addison hopes that his home country Ghana is also on its way to becoming a nuclear country. The decision on this has already been made and the company that he represents, the national Nuclear Power Ghana, has steadily made strides in its preparations. Addison, who completed a Master’s Degree in nuclear field in South Korea, was impressed by the methodical approach he witnessed in Olkiluoto.
It was also fascinating to see how well the plant fits here in this area of great natural beauty. Everything shows that environmental factors have been paid plenty of attention here since the beginning.
If the original plans for Jordania had been realised, there could be not one but two 1000 MW plant units in operation there already next year. But although these plans did not become reality, the country is at present looking into the possibility of building Small Modular Reactors. For Ababneh Rahaf, who has worked in the country’s Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission since 2013, the training was overall a good experience.
During the week, we got a very comprehensive idea of the significance of nuclear safety and, for example, of the role of IAEA in this equation. And this facility visit was, all in all, very interesting, and I learned a lot.
Olkiluoto made an impression on Abdurrahman Abdulmotteleb who comes from Egypt.
I think safety culture as a whole is very well organised here. It was also great to have the opportunity to learn and to talk to people in Olkiluoto about their insights and experiences. All in all, a great visit, says the gentleman who represents the national nuclear power company. At present, there are four 1200 MW plant units under construction in Egypt. And four more in planning.