“Good leadership has great impact on wellbeing at work and embracing learning”

The Team Leader of I&C Design at the OL1 and OL2 plant units, Ari Valtonen, aged 51, says he is grateful for having had the opportunity to work under encouraging and professional Line Managers during his career at TVO.

- I have learned a lot about the nuclear industry from older experts. I wish to uphold the apprenticeship approach at TVO, with the more seasoned professionals forwarding their knowledge and skills to the younger generation. No school can teach you everything about the nuclear technology – you accumulate your knowledge in the complex operating environment over the years, Valtonen ponders.

Valtonen found himself at TVO for the first time after completing his vocational studies, before moving on to Tampere Institute of Technology.

- I was an active shooting athlete as a young man. There were people from TVO also in the sport, and one time I asked Tage Malen if maybe it would be possible for a future automation engineer to do his work practice in Olkiluoto. And it was. The first post in my TVO career was as a trainee in instrument maintenance at OL2 before I left for Tampere to start my studies.

As a student, Valtonen spent his summers working in Olkiluoto during the annual outages. Even before obtaining his engineering degree in 1998, Valtonen used to think that TVO could be a good employer.

Valtonen’s career in Olkiluoto has been a diverse one. He started in 1995 as a maintenance engineer. Over the years, he has worked in positions related to quality control and modification planning, in the inspection office, the MODE modernisation programme of the OL1 and OL2 plants, and in development tasks of configuration management at OL3, among others.

- At the end of 2012, Seppo Taipale, the Team Leader in I&C Design, a through and through professional of the field, retired and I succeeded him in this position. The job description was right for me and has constantly brought new challenges.

Summer work for engineering students

The I&C Design Team for the OL1 and OL2 plant units consists of some 20 employees. According to Valtonen, I&C refers to Instrumentation and Control engineering and is an integral part of the technology used in nuclear power plants.

- For example, we prepare modification plans for the plants and design bespoke interfaces. The documentation associated with modifications is adapted to the practices followed by TVO. We also verify new equipment to make sure they have been correctly installed. The I&C Design for OL3 is now separated into a specific unit.

I&C Design offers work for several students in engineering every year. The summer trainees usually arrive in early May and stay until late August. Many students are happy to spend several summers in Olkiluoto. After obtaining their degree, some of the summer trainees return to the island as employees of either TVO or one of its subcontractors. The summer jobs are a good way to become familiar with the Olkiluoto gang’s way of working.

- It is nice to work with young people. The work practice periods also spark thesis ideas. I, too, have supervised the writing of several theses.

In I&C Design, the students start their work practice period by carrying out simple work, such as replacement of relays, supporting tasks for documentation, and cleaning and organising old files. At a later stage of their studies, the students can take part in actual design work.

- There is a lot to learn. For example, the control and process equipment of the most important systems of OL1 and OL2 are divided into four separate subsystems which makes modifications laborious processes.

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Annual outage planning takes time

In managerial work, Valtonen says his principle is not to interfere in actual design work; that is the job of the Team’s designers.

- My duties are related to line management, such as ensuring sufficient manpower in each shift. I am also involved in many development projects.

The planning of annual outages starts in the autumn for implementation in the spring.

- We determine the required modification work in electrical and automation systems and coordinate the phasing of the work with the other engineering disciplines involved in annual outage planning. The smooth implementation of work is based on cooperation as well as detailed scheduling and planning.

In 2026, the OL1 plant unit will undergo a more extensive annual outage than usual, with an estimated duration of 52 days. Major work processes, apart from upgrading electrical and automation systems, will include the repair of the seawater channels.

- The best thing of my own work is planning various change projects and resolving problems. Cooperation with the different teams in Olkiluoto is also nice. I have enjoyed working in Olkiluoto, which is best evidenced by the fact that I have been here close to 30 years, Valtonen says.

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Bold house project

For Valtonen who grew up in the Uotila area of Rauma, it was a natural choice to stay in the region when offered a job in Olkiluoto. Today, Valtonen lives in the Ota area of the town with his wife and 15-year old daughter. The Valtonen family made a bold decision in 2007 and bought a detached house with severe water damage.

- We fixed the house in about 3-4 years to make it fit to live in. After that, we have carried out smaller refurbishing projects almost every year. I think many people could not understand our decision, but the good location of the house was an important factor. However, what influenced our decision most was our wish to renovate the house ourselves – work with our own hands. I have not counted how many hours the renovation work has required, and don’t even have the courage to do so, Valtonen says.

According to Valtonen, their daughter’s enthusiasm for competitive swimming as a member of Rauma Swimming Club defines to a large extent how they spend their free time. Valtonen has partaken in the sport also himself, in officiating and judging duties.

Valtonen has won Finnish championships in competitive pistol shooting and says he has not completely forgotten this hobby. Although, his achievements do not match those of his wife Helena Valtonen (née Juppala), who has won the World Championship team gold medal in the smallbore rifle event as well as World Championship silver and European Championship gold in the 300 m rifle event.

- Personally I feel that sports have developed mind control. When top shooters compete for a medal, every one of them is a good shooter. But one must be able to handle the pressure of the moment and focus on one’s own performance.

Text: Timo Sillanpää
Photos: Tapani Karjanlahti