Annual outages in Olkiluoto reach halfway point

28.5.2019

​ The annual outage has been completed at the Olkiluoto 2 plant unit (OL2). The plant unit was re-connected to electricity production on Sunday, 26 May, and is again producing electricity for Finland. The annual outage started at OL2 on Wednesday, 1 May.

The 40th annual outage was brought forward at the OL2 plant unit due to fuel damage. The damaged fuel elements were replaced with fresh fuel during the annual outage that has now been completed. The most significant other activities carried out included, in addition to preventive maintenance and inspections of systems, also e.g. a pressure test of the primary circuit, renewal of heat exchanger in the reactor water purification system, maintenance of the main generator, and replacement of the 400 kV switchgear.

At the Olkiluoto 1 plant unit (OL1), a refuelling outage will begin on Sunday, 2 June. It is scheduled to be finished on Tuesday, 11 June. Refuelling is the most important activity for this outage.

Olkiluoto nuclear power plant is kept in good production condition at all times by means of annual refuelling and maintenance outages carried out in alternate years at the plant units.

Pressure test on primary circuit executed successfully at Olkiluoto 2 plant unit


A pressure test was conducted on the primary circuit of the Olkiluoto 2 plant unit (OL2) for the first time since the commissioning of the plant units.

The new operating licence granted last autumn specified the pressure test as a requirement. The operation of the OL1 and OL2 plant units can continue until the year 2038 under the operating licence. The pressure test was completed successfully on Wednesday, 15 May.

In the pressure test, the leak-tightness of the primary circuit, or the systems associated with the reactor, was tested at a pressure higher than the rated operating pressure.

- The passing of the pressure test with flying colours is yet another indication of the excellent condition of the Olkiluoto plant units, says Marjo Mustonen, Senior Vice President, Electricity Production. The regulating authority was also satisfied with the outcome of the test.

The pressure test will be carried out next at the Olkiluoto 1 plant unit during the annual outage of 2020. After that, the pressure test is to be conducted at both plant units every eight years.