TVO and Framatome reach agreement on fuel deliveries for Olkiluoto 3
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and Framatome have signed a long-term Agreement on fuel deliveries for the Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear power plant unit. The Agreement covers eight years of plant operation and supports safe and efficient electricity production by the plant.
The Agreement continues the long-lasting cooperation of TVO and Framatome in fuel deliveries to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, extending over more than 30 years.
“The Agreement supports our goal to ensure safe and efficient electricity production. We appreciate our sustained cooperation with Framatome”, says Marjo Mustonen, Senior Vice President in charge of Electricity Production at TVO.
The Agreement includes an option to introduce at the plant the advanced GAIA fuel type developed by Framatome once the licensing processes associated with reload quantities have been completed. In the autumn of this year, eight GAIA fuel elements will be loaded in the OL3 reactor as part of the initial operation of the new fuel type.
“This Agreement for its part allows the adoption of longer operating cycles of up to two years at Olkiluoto 3. At the same time, the Agreement strengthens over the long term the supply reliability based on TVO’s decentralised procurement approach, says the Head of TVO’s Fuel Unit Tuomas Rantala.
Framatome will also supply under this Agreement engineering services related to reactor core design and fuel use optimisation to support the safe and economical operation of the OL3 plant unit.
“We are proud of the opportunity to continue our long cooperation with TVO and the supply of safe and reliable fuel solutions for Olkiluoto 3, says Lionel Gaiffe, the Senior Executive Vice President in charge of Framatome’s Fuel Business Unit.
Olkiluoto 3 is one of the most high-performance nuclear power plant units in the world. The three reactors in Olkiluoto generate about 30% of the electricity consumed annually in Finland.