Olkiluoto 3 Maintenance Manager appreciates constant learning in his job

Ossi Heikkinen says that ending up in Olkiluoto again in 2007 came to be as a result of a string of coincidences. He had graduated as a logistics engineer from the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences a few years earlier and then worked in forest and paper industry in production and maintenance related jobs.

- One morning after a night shift I got a telephone call. A company doing subcontracting work for TVO inquired if I would be interested in working in the OL3 project, Heikkinen reminisces.

He had earlier submitted his CV to the company. He had already forgotten about it, but the inquiry sounded interesting. The interview for the job went well and he started as a project engineer employed by the subcontractor.

- Over the years my area of responsibility increased and I was learning more and more about the technology of nuclear power plants. I started as an employee of TVO in early 2012. A couple of years later I transferred to the position of Project Manager in the project started for the replacement of the diesel generators that are used as emergency power sources at the OL1 and OL2 plant units, Heikkinen recalls.

At the start of the 2020s, Heikkinen returned to OL3 and was soon promoted to Maintenance Manager. In this position, he is in charge of the management and development of maintenance activities at OL3.

Annual outage changes daily routines

According to Heikkinen, an advantage of working for a big employer like TVO is the possibility to build up your career path in new positions within the company. He also appreciates the good work morale in Olkiluoto.

- During my years in Olkiluoto I have had the opportunity to witness nuclear technology and operations from many different viewpoints, which has enriched my own professional development. I have always embraced learning and new tasks as changes that drive me forward.

- I feel that the sense of being “us” has been further strengthened after OL3 moved from the project stage to production.

For the Maintenance Manager, the annual outage means a change in normal daily routines. The fact that the OL3 annual outage employs about one thousand external workers in addition to TVO’s own people alone changes the nature of work.

- In the plant unit’s second annual outage, we carried out a containment leak-tightness test for the first time since the commissioning of the unit.

Due to the different plant type and the massive size of the unit, the annual outages of OL3 take longer than the outages of the OL1 and OL2 plant units.

- The first annual outage at OL3 took 74 days. We must bear in mind that it was the first annual outage at a plant of this type in Europe. The throughput time of the outages will become shorter as the work becomes more routine. On the other hand, OL3 can be operated in longer operating cycles than the two smaller plant units. According to plans, the second annual outage will be followed by an operating cycle of 18 months before the next outage.

Hunting and countryside activities

Born in Rauma, Heikkinen lives in a detached house in the Kolla area which is about 10 km from the town centre.

- My wife and I have two daughters, aged 6 and 9. Living in the country is really a must for us, as we have two Finnish horses. My wife has been a horse enthusiast since she was a little girl and my children are also avid horse people. We have good riding grounds nearby.

- I have tried horseback riding, too, but did not become a keen equestrian. I prefer taking a horse and a trotting cart out to drive in the woods.

We have also other animals in our households – being a true country home: a four-year old Belgian shepherd dog and a 12-year old moggie.

As a family with children, our days are largely scheduled based on their hobbies. The older one engages in competitive aerobics, the younger is a dancer. But I do also have time for my own interests. Some time ago Heikkinen started hunting after planning it for quite some time. In the Olkiluoto hunting club, the hunters have their sights set especially on the roe deer, white-tail deer, and elk roaming the island.

- I managed to kill my first deer last autumn. The hobby brings meat that is truly locally sourced into our freezer, but that is not the main point. What especially gives me pleasure is being in nature and the good spirit among the hunters who are all TVO employees.

According to Heikkinen, hunting plays an important role in the implementation of comprehensive wildlife management. Maintaining game feeding stations in more remote areas reduces the movement of ungulate game on major roads, which decreases the risks of traffic accidents.

Text: Timo Sillanpää
Photos: Tapani Karjanlahti