Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s Interim Report January–June 2018
16.7.2018
During the first half of 2018, Teollisuuden Voima’s (TVO) electricity generation at Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2 plant units continued safely and reliably. At Olkiluoto 3 EPR, the hot functional testing was completed in May. According to the schedule updated by the plant supplier, the regular electricity generation at OL3 EPR plant unit will start in September 2019. The excavation works of Posiva’s final disposal facility proceeded according to plan.
Operating Environment
In January 2018, the Ministry of Finance requested an opinion on a draft bill aimed at amending the provision in the legislation on taxation of business income, which limits the right to deduct interest. In its opinion, TVO has proposed amendments to the draft bill to avoid additional burden to the energy sector. The bill is to enter into force at the beginning of 2019.
Preparation of the “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package published by the European Commission in November 2016 continues. From the nuclear industry’s perspective, the most relevant legislative proposals of the Clean Energy package are energy efficiency directive, renewable energy directive, electricity directive & regulation, and regulation on the governance of the Energy Union.
Trilogue negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and Council on the final versions of the directives and regulations began in February 2018. In June, agreement was reached on the 32 percent target for the share of renewable energy sources by 2030. As regards energy efficiency, a 32.5 percent improvement target by 2030 was agreed. Trilogue negotiations on the electricity market design began in late June. In the negotiations, e.g. the rules on capacity mechanisms will be decided.
Financial Performance
TVO operates on a cost-price principle (Mankala principle). TVO's goal is not to make profit or pay dividends. The shareholders are charged incurred costs on the price of electricity and thus in principle the profit/loss for the period under review is zero, unless specific circumstances dictate otherwise. The shareholders pay variable costs based on the volumes of energy supplied and fixed costs in proportion to their ownership, regardless of whether they have made any use of their share of the output or not. Because of the Company's operating principle, key indicators based on financial performance will not be presented.
The consolidated turnover for the period under review January 1–June 30, 2018 was EUR 166.7 (January 1–June 30, 2017: EUR 158.1 million). The amount of electricity delivered to shareholders was 6,813.5 (6,314.3) GWh. The slightly higher delivery volume to shareholders was due to higher delivery volumes of both the Olkiluoto plant units and the Meri-Pori coal-fired power plant compared to the previous year.
The consolidated profit/loss was EUR -10.8 (-10.8) million.
Financing and Liquidity
TVO's financial situation has developed as planned.
TVO's liabilities (non-current and current) at the end of the period in review, excluding the loan from the Finnish State Nuclear Waste Management Fund relent to shareholders, totaled EUR 4,562.2 (December 31, 2017: 4,412.0) million, of which EUR 579.3 (579.3) million were subordinated shareholder loans. During the period under review, TVO raised a total of EUR 400.0 (100.0) million in non-current liabilities. Repayments during the period under review amounted to EUR 371.8 (175.9) million.
In April, TVO issued a EUR 400 million bond. The maturity of the bond is six years and the coupon 2%. EUR 306.5 million of the proceeds from the bond were used for the partial repurchase of the EUR 500 million bond maturing in February 2019.
In February, Japan Credit Rating Agency downgraded TVO’s long term rating from AA- to A+ and assessed the outlook as stable. In October 2017, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) placed TVO’s long term issuer rating (BB+) on CreditWatch with negative outlook. In March 2018, S&P removed the rating from CreditWatch Negative and assessed TVO’s outlook as stable.
The OL3 EPR project's share of financing costs has been capitalized in the balance sheet.
TVO uses its right to borrow funds back from the Finnish State Nuclear Waste Management Fund within the framework of legal regulations. On June 30, 2018 the amount of the loan was EUR 666.2 (December 31, 2017: 655.5) million and it has been relent to the Company's A-series shareholders. On March 31, 2018, the loan from the Finnish State Nuclear Waste Management Fund was increased by EUR 10.7 (-371.5) million.
Nuclear Power
Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2
The electricity production of the Olkiluoto power plant units Olkiluoto 1 (OL1) and Olkiluoto 2 (OL2) during the period under review was 6,458 (6,286) GWh. The total load factor was 84.2 (82.4) %.
The plant units operated safely and reliably during the period under review. OL1’s net production was 2,932 (3,524) GWh and the load factor 76.9 (92.5) %. OL2’s net production was 3,526 (2,762) GWh and the load factor 91.4 (72.4) %.
Olkiluoto 1
Average electrical power
July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018
Olkiluoto 2
Average electrical power
July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018I
In January 2017, TVO filed with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) an application for the renewal of the operating license of OL1 and OL2. The renewal of the operating license is applied for until the end of 2038. The 20-year operating license currently in force must be renewed by the end of 2018.
At the end of May, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) issued a positive statement to MEAE on renewing the operating license for the OL1 and OL2 plant units. Government decision on the operating license renewal is expected in the autumn.
Annual outages
The 2018 annual outages of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant were started on April 23 with a refueling outage at OL2. In addition to refueling, the OL2 outage also included annually recurring maintenance work as well as completion of the installation of a new alternative coolant injection system. The outage lasted more than 13 days.
At OL1, the annual outage commenced on May 13 and was completed on June 23. The most important work of the outage at the plant unit included replacement of the main internals pumps and their frequency converters, renewal of turbine condensers, installation of a new alternative coolant injection system, high-pressure drain forward pumping, and replacement of the high-pressure preheaters and feedwater distributors. A containment leak-tightness test was also carried out.
In addition to TVO’s own personnel, up to 1,400 contractor employees took part in the 2018 annual outage works.
The refueling and maintenance outages carried out at the plant units on alternating years are designed to ensure that a good level of operability and production is maintained at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant at all times.
Olkiluoto 3 EPR
Olkiluoto 3 EPR (OL3 EPR), a nuclear power plant unit under construction, was procured as a fixed-price turnkey project from a consortium (Supplier) formed by Areva GmbH, Areva NP SAS and Siemens AG. As stipulated in the plant contract, the consortium companies have joint and several liability for the contractual obligations.
In accordance with the Supplier’s schedule updated in June 2018, regular electricity generation at the plant unit will commence in September 2019. According to the Supplier, fuel will be loaded into the reactor in January 2019, and the first connection to the grid will take place in May 2019. According to the Supplier’s plant ramp-up program, the 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 production.
The construction work of the plant unit is mainly finished. Electrical, instrumentation and control (I&C) and mechanical installations are still partly in progress. Simulator training for the operating personnel commenced in February 2017. The hot functional testing was completed in May 2018. In the hot functional tests, the nuclear and turbine island operated for the first time together as an entity. Overall, more than two hundred different tests were carried out at different pressure and temperature levels during the hot functional testing. The workforce at the site at the end of the period under review was about 2,100 persons. Occupational safety at the site remained at a good level.
The business restructuring plan announced by Areva in 2016 was implemented at the beginning of 2018. The majority of Areva NP’s business was transferred to a company named Framatome, of which 75.5 percent is owned by Electricité de France (EDF). The OL3 EPR project and the means required to complete the project, as well as certain other liabilities remained within Areva NP and Areva GmbH.
A comprehensive settlement agreement between TVO and the OL3 EPR plant supplier consortium companies was signed and it came into force in March 2018. The settlement agreement concerns the completion of the OL3 EPR project and related disputes.The agreement is described in more detail in the paragraph “Pending Court Cases and Disputes”.
All the realized costs of the OL3 EPR project that can be recognized in the cost of the asset have been entered as property, plant and equipment in the Group balance sheet.
Nuclear Fuel
During the period under review, nuclear fuel purchases amounted to EUR 34.1 (31.2) million and the amount consumed to EUR 27.6 (24.0) million.
The nuclear fuel and uranium stock carrying value on June 30, 2018 was EUR 248.2 (December 31, 2017: 241.7) million.
Nuclear Waste Management
Under the Finnish Nuclear Energy Act, the Company is responsible for the measures related to nuclear waste management and the related costs.
The liabilities in the consolidated financial statement show a provision related to nuclear waste management liability of EUR 966.3 (December 31, 2017: 953.1) million, calculated according to the international IFRS accounting principles. A corresponding amount, under assets, represents the Company’s share in the Finnish State Nuclear Waste Management Fund.
In order to cover the costs of nuclear waste management, TVO makes contributions to the Finnish State Nuclear Waste Management Fund. In December 2017, MEAE set TVO's liability for nuclear waste management at EUR 1,481.6 (1,450.1) million to the end of 2017 and the Company's funding target for 2018 at EUR 1,470.8 (1,428.4) million.
In March 2018, the Finnish State Nuclear Management Fund confirmed TVO’s nuclear waste management fee for 2017 at EUR 33.6 (49.1) million, which was paid into the Fund on March 31, 2018 (March 31, 2017). The nuclear waste management fee for 2018 will be confirmed in March 2019.
Final Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Posiva Oy is in charge of executing in Olkiluoto the final disposal of the spent nuclear fuel generated by its owners, TVO at its power plant in Olkiluoto and Fortum at its power plant in Loviisa.
Suppliers of the main encapsulation building equipment have been selected, and the design phase of the main equipment has progressed according to plan. In addition, the decision to construct the encapsulation building is under preparation.
The excavation work of the final disposal facility itself was launched in December 2016. Excavation of the vehicle access tunnels leading to the final disposal facility and excavation of the central tunnel for the integrated systems test have been completed. Raise boring of the canister shaft has been started. Preparation for the full-scale in-situ system test (FISST) continued, and the test was commenced at the end of June. The aim of the FISST is to demonstrate that safe final disposal can be implemented as designed by Posiva. The test is monitored for several years.
At the end of March, Posiva’s owners submitted the Nuclear Waste Management Annual Report for 2017 to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE).
Coal Power
Meri-Pori
The amount of electricity produced by TVO’s share at the Meri-Pori coal-fired power plant on January 1–June 30, 2018 was 369.2 (44.5) GWh requiring 134.5 (15.4) thousand tons of coal and 266.4 (36.9) thousand tons of carbon dioxide emission rights.
TVO’s share of Meri-Pori’s production
Average electrical power MW
July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018
TVO and its shareholders have agreed on ownership arrangements of shares entitling to a share of Meri-Pori power plant's production capacity. According to the agreement signed in June, Fortum will acquire TVO’s shareholders' shares of the production capacity of the Meri-Pori power plant. Fortum will be entitled to use TVO's share of the Meri-Pori capacity as of the beginning of 2019, and TVO will relinquish its share in Meri-Pori in full in the beginning of July 2020.
Acquisitions of Tangible and Intangible Assets and Shares
Investments during the period under review were EUR 147.6 (151.9) million. Investments of the parent company were EUR 145.1 (151.0) million, of which EUR 111.9 (103.7) million were allocated to the OL3 project.
Carbon dioxide emission rights have been relinquished to the Energy Market authority worth EUR 0.7 (2.7) million. During the period under review, emission rights were acquired worth EUR 3.7 (0.1) million. The Company's need for carbon dioxide emission rights for the period under review are covered by acquired emission rights.
Pending Court Cases and Disputes
According to the comprehensive settlement agreement signed in March 2018, TVO and the Supplier jointly withdrew the pending arbitration proceedings under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) rules with respect to costs and losses incurred in relation to delays in the construction of the OL3 EPR project. In June 2018, the ICC tribunal confirmed the arbitration settlement by a consent award, and the arbitration proceedings were terminated. The parties also withdrew the pending appeals in the General Court of the European Union.
The settlement agreement between TVO and the plant supplier consortium companies Areva NP, Areva GmbH and Siemens AG as well as with Areva Group parent company Areva SA, a company wholly owned by the French State, concerning the completion of the OL3 EPR project and related disputes entered into force late March.
The settlement agreement stipulates that:
In order to provide and maintain adequate and competent technical and human resources for the completion of the OL3 EPR project, Areva will source the necessary additional resources from Framatome S.A.S., whose majority owner is Electricité de France (EDF).
The supplier consortium companies undertake that the funds dedicated to the completion of the OL3 EPR project will be adequate and will cover all applicable guarantee periods, including setting up a trust mechanism funded by Areva companies to secure the financing of the costs of completion of the OL3 EPR project.
The turnkey principle of the OL3 EPR plant contract and the joint and several liability of the supplier consortium companies remain in full force.
The agreement also noted the plant supplier’s schedule at the time the agreement was signed, according to which the regular electricity production in the unit would have commenced in May 2019.
The ICC arbitration concerning the costs and losses caused by the delay of the OL3 EPR project is settled by financial compensation of EUR 450 million to be paid to TVO in two installments by the supplier consortium companies.
The parties withdraw all on-going legal actions related to OL3 EPR, including the ICC arbitration and appeals in the General Court of the European Union.
The supplier consortium companies are entitled to receive an incentive payment, in a maximum amount of EUR 150 million, upon timely completion of the OL3 EPR project. In the event that the supplier consortium companies fail to complete the OL3 EPR project by the end of 2019, they will pay a penalty to TVO for such delay in an amount which will depend on the actual time of completion of the OL3 EPR project and may not exceed EUR 400 million.
TVO received the first payment of EUR 328 million of the settlement amount in March at the entry into force of the settlement agreement. The second payment of EUR 122 million is payable upon completion of the OL3 EPR project or, in any event, on December 31, 2019 at the latest. In the first quarter of 2018, TVO made a provision of EUR 150 million reflecting the maximum amount of the incentive payment payable to the supplier consortium companies for timely completion of the OL3 EPR project. In June 2018, TVO received from Areva–Siemens Consortium an updated schedule for the commissioning of the OL3 plant unit. According to the received information, the regular electricity generation at OL3 will start in September 2019, so, in the second quarter of 2018, the provision was withdrawn by EUR 50 million. These settlement payments to TVO, any incentive payment by TVO and any penalty payable to TVO due to any additional project delay have all been taken into account in calculating the final cost of the OL3 EPR project. The amount corresponding to the settlement amount and the incentive fee to be paid by TVO have been entered as property, plant and equipment in the Group balance sheet.
Personnel
The total number of personnel in the Group at the end of the period under review was 917 (December 31, 2017: 807, June 30, 2017: 850). The number of permanent employees in the Group at the end of the period under review was 807 (December 31, 2017: 784, June 30, 2017: 756).
As the operating phase of OL3 EPR is approaching, the organizations of Electricity Production and Engineering and Expert Services are being strengthened with several dozens of technical professionals.
The Group’s management and operational culture is being developed with the help of the Better workplace project. The goals of the project include improving efficiency of operations and securing good preconditions for operations by developing issues related to the work of each individual, the immediate work community and the entire Group. The progress of the project is monitored on a regular basis and the project’s effectiveness is measured with e.g. regular personnel surveys.
The collective agreements for different groups of personnel in the energy industry ended on January 31, 2018. New agreements are in force in accordance with the so called framework agreement of labor confederations for salaried employees until the end of January 2020, for workers until the end of March 2020, and for senior salaried employees until the end of January 2021.
Annual General Meeting
TVO's Annual General Meeting on March 31, 2018 approved the financial statements for 2017, confirmed the consolidated income statement and balance sheet, and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO from liability.
All Board members were re-elected. At its organization meeting, the Board elected Matti Ruotsala as Chairman and Lauri Virkkunen as Deputy Chairman. The Board also chose from among its members the members and chairmen of the Board Committees.
Extraordinary General Meeting
At TVO's Extraordinary General Meeting held in June 2018, TVO and its shareholders agreed on ownership arrangements of shares entitling to a share of Meri-Pori power plant's production capacity. TVO will relinquish its share in Meri-Pori in full in the beginning of July 2020. Because of the arrangements the EGM decided to amend the Articles of Association by removing all provisions pertaining Meri-Pori shares and to reduce the share capital by the proportionate amount of share capital allocated to these shares (class C shares.) The amendments of the Articles of Association will be registered at the same time as the decrease in the share capital is registered. The other amendments to the Articles of Association will be registered when the cancellation of class C shares is registered.
Auditing
The Interim Report is unaudited.
Risks and Uncertainty Factors in the Near Future
The major risks and uncertainty factors in TVO’s operations have been presented in the 2017 Report of the Board of Directors.
During the period under review, no remarkable new risks connected with the Company’s operation have arisen.
Assessment of Year-End Developments
Electricity production is expected to continue as in previous years. The prerequisites for nuclear power production at Olkiluoto are good. Procedures for the operating license renewal of the OL1 and OL2 plant units will be completed in the second half of the year. Nuclear fuel availability is guaranteed by long-term agreements.
Preparing the OL3 EPR plant unit for production use will continue with TVO supporting the Supplier to complete the project. After the hot functional tests, preparation for the fuel loading which will take several months was launched at OL3 EPR. TVO will submit to the authorities a number of supplementary documents relating mainly to the findings of the heat functional testing. After this TVO has the prerequisites to obtain STUK's opinion and safety assessment as well as the Government's decision on the license.
The Meri-Pori coal-fired power plant capacity will be used in 2018 in accordance with the former principles. Fortum’s share of the Meri-Pori power plant has been accepted into the reserve capacity.
The concept and cost optimization phase of Posiva’s final disposal project will continue until the end of 2018. The full-scale in-situ system test (FISST) in ONKALO will continue during 2018.
Events after the Period under Review
No major events have taken place after the end of the interim report period.
July 17, 2018
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj
Board of Directors
For more information, please contact:
Jarmo Tanhua, President and CEO, Tel. +358 2 8381 2000
Anja Ussa, Senior Vice President, Finance, Tel. +358 2 8381 6100.
Jarmo Tanhua, President and CEO, Tel. +358 2 8381 2000
Anja Ussa, Senior Vice President, Finance, Tel. +358 2 8381 6100.
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