Head of nuclear construction project says schedule may be too tight

TVO says scheduling was carefully thought out

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Philippe Knoche, who was recently named the new head of the construction project for the third nuclear reactor at the Olkiluoto plant in the West of Finland, says that the original schedule for the construction of the plant for the power company TVO may have been somewhat too challenging. He notes that the reactor building, which is being built by the French company Areva, is the first third-generation nuclear plant of its kind.
      "The work should not be hurried at the expense of safety",Knoche says.
      Knoche started out as the new head of the project of the French-German consortium chosen to build the installation, replacing Ulrich Geise at the beginning of this month.
      Knoche aired his views for the first time on Friday in Olkiluoto. He pointed out that the aim of the project is to build a nuclear power plant that is to operate at least 60 years.
      "Safety and quality here are more important than setting speed records in construction", he said.
     
The third reactor unit at Olkiluoto is now expected to be ready for commercial energy production in 2011, about a year and a half behind schedule.
      Knoche emphasises that Finland is establishing a new standard for third-generation nuclear installations.
      "As the first of its kind, the speed of the construction, even at the current rate, would seem to represent a record level", Knoche says.
      Philippe Knoche has worked for Areva for about six years, and the positions he has held include that of the director responsibile for strategy. He would not analyse the reasons for the delays.
     
Difficulties experienced by the project range from the quality of the concrete and design mistakes all the way to damage caused by a recent autumn storm.
      The loss of a year and a half’s worth of electricity production are estimated at nearly EUR 600 million.
     
TVO, Areva, and Siemens are to hold thorough discussions on payment of compensation for the delays in the project, with a total estimated value of EUR three billion.
      TVO’s Martin Landtman, who has headed the whole project from the very beginning, does not agree with Knoche that the schedule was too ambitious.
      "The original schedule was certainly based on careful calculations; the builder simply has not been able to carry it out", Landtman says.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Sharp rise in support for sixth nuclear reactor in past year (24.4.2006)
  Further delay in construction of Olkiluoto-3 nuclear reactor (5.12.2006)
  Call for radical electricity market overhaul and sixth nuclear reactor (4.10.2006)

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