Nuclear authority angered by shortcomings in reactor construction

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The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) has again taken issue with welding work at the construction site of the third reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. According to STUK, the Finnish power company TVO, and the French company Areva, which has been contracted to build the reactor, should primarily monitor the work done by the various subcontractors.
     This time problems have arisen from the welding work which has been done on the protective metal rings around the reactor. The welding has been done by a Polish subcontractor, Energomontaz-Polnoc.
     STUK stopped the welding work in early September, but at the end of the month it was noticed during an inspection at the machine shop in Gdynia that the work had continued in defiance of the suspension.
     
STUK is demanding a report on the deviation, hoping that it might serve as a deterrence to similar events in the future.
     “We have drawn attention to the fact that the quality control responsibility of subcontractors belongs primarily to Areva, and then to TVO, and we are only the last in that chain. It is a bad situation if we have to take issue with these things constantly”, Says Director Lasse Reiman of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
     Reiman says that other supervision phases have not worked as planned, if STUK has to intervene. "That is why this is a significant matter."
     
Problems with the welding of the steel cover rings apply to the welds of extensions to be attached onto the inside of the steel cover rings. These will be used for attaching various lifting devices inside the reactor buildings.
     The weld seams of the extensions were originally incorrectly classified as belonging to a lower security class than those of the actual cover rings.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Greenpeace denounces Finland´s nuclear energy programme (17.9.2008)
  Greenpeace calls for suspension of construction on new nuclear reactor and safety review (14.8.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat