Construction work proceeds at new demineralisation plant – topping out celebrated last week
A construction project is a swift process these days. Building work on the new demineralisation plant, commenced in late September, has already progressed to the point that the roof topping ceremony of the new building took place in Olkiluoto on 15 May.
The roof topping ceremony started with a tour on the worksite. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the client, the developer, the plant supplier, and the designers.
According to Project Manager Tommi Virtanen, the project has run on schedule.
- In terms of building engineering, we could have celebrated the roof topping even earlier, as in fact, equipment deliveries have already arrived as well, Virtanen says.
The roof topping ceremony started with a tour on the worksite. What was seen verified what Virtanen said. Technological items for the new plant had already appeared on the ground floor of the new facility. That does not mean that there is not a lot that are still missing.
- The space will be filled quite effectively with technology, compared with the current state, points out Site Manger Aarne Hyppölä as he presents the facility.
When completed, the new demineralisation plant will be about 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. It will stand on the north side of the plant area, near the multi-activity centre.
At the moment, the new water treatment plant appears quite open and spacious, but only a small part of the final equipment is in place at the moment. The view will be quite different in a couple of months, when both floors of the facility will be more or less filled with technology, from floor to ceiling.
Commissioning tests to start in autumn
At the next phase, the focus of the project will be on installation work carried out by the equipment supplier. According to the installation schedule, the commissioning test phase should be reached in the autumn
- And then, the production phase is scheduled to start in early 2026, Virtanen concluded.
The new demineralisation plant replaces the existing plant which has served the nuclear power plant for as long as the OL1 and OL2 plant units, almost half a century.
One important reason for the new building is the increased need for pure water. With the completion of Olkiluoto 3, there are now three plants instead of two. This is also reflected in the capacity of the newbuild plant. While the capacity of the old plant was 30 cubic metres per hour, the new facility boasts a capacity of 80 cubic metres per hour.
The environment will also benefit, as the amount of chemicals used at the plant for purification is reduced to a fraction of earlier consumption.
Construction work has proceeded on schedule. The plant supplier will be able to start the installation phase in May, in compliance with the original plans. The installation work is scheduled to be completed in the autumn, allowing the start of the plant’s commissioning phase.
You can also read the earlier article about the new desalination plant through this link.