OL3 EPR's regular electricity generation starts in September 2019

13.6.2018

​ Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) has received from the plant supplier Areva–Siemens Consortium an updated schedule for the commissioning of the OL3 EPR plant unit. According to the received information, the regular electricity generation at the Olkiluoto 3 will start in September 2019.

In April 2018, the plant supplier announced that it would update the schedule for completing the project since the hot functional tests and commissioning tests were delayed.

According to the plant supplier, fuel will be loaded into the reactor in January 2019, the plant unit will be connected to the national grid for the first time in May, and regular electricity generation will start in September 2019. As per the commissioning program, the plant unit will produce 2-4 TWh of electricity, at varying power levels, during the period of time between the first connection to the grid and the start of regular electricity generation. According to the previous schedule, regular electricity production was planned to start in May 2019.

The commissioning tests of OL3 EPR will last longer than planned. Completion of the hot functional test took 50 days longer than planned. Based on the findings of the commissioning tests, a comprehensive modification package will be implemented at OL3 over the next few months to update the plant's electrical and I&C systems. After the modification works, the necessary parts of the commissioning tests will be repeated and commissioning will continue. In addition, the pressurizer surge line vibrations that delayed the hot functional tests will be corrected before fuel loading.

-The hot functional testing has now been successfully completed and the schedule for the next phases has been defined. The whole commissioning is performed with utmost care, without compromise. We will have a modern and safe plant, and its commissioning will strengthen our know-how for the operating phase, says Jouni Silvennoinen, Director of the OL3 Project.

OL3 plant supplier consortium is constructing the plant unit under a fixed-price turnkey contract. The supplier consortium companies, AREVA GmbH, AREVA NP SAS and Siemens AG, have joint and several liability for the contractual obligations until the end of the guarantee period of the plant unit.

Further information:
Jouni Silvennoinen, Director, OL3 Project, TVO

Interview requests:
Pasi Tuohimaa, Communications Manager, tel: +358 40 5445001.