Further delay in construction of Olkiluoto-3 nuclear reactor

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Construction work on the third reactor of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant on the west coast of Finland has been delayed again. The power company TVO said on Monday that the installation will not be ready until early 2011.
      Originally the reactor was to have come on line a year and a half earlier - in the summer of 2009.
      The installation is being built by the French company Areva together with the German Siemens. The builders take the responsibility for the costs caused by the delay.
     
The delay in the construction means a loss of nearly EUR 600 million in lost electricity production. The building contract has a clause on possible delays, but TVO and its shareholders will not disclose details on who is liable for the loss of production.
      "Quality standards, usability, and safety are nevertheless top priorities", says Seppo Ruhonen, CEO of Helsinki Energy, which holds an eight per cent share in the new reactor project.
     
The construction project, which began in the summer of 2005 has experienced numerous problems both in planning and in the actual construction work.
      Difficulties have arisen in the organisation of the building site, quality control, and training.
      Already in the summer it was announced that the completion of the reactor would be postponed by a year. The latest report means a further delay of about six months is in store.
      When it is complete, the new reactor is expected to generate about 12 terawatt hours of electricity a year. This is about 15 percent of Finland’s current electricity consumption.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Call for radical electricity market overhaul and sixth nuclear reactor (4.10.2006)
  Sharp rise in support for sixth nuclear reactor in past year (24.4.2006)

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