Olkiluoto NPP

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Summary
Olkiluoto is the location of one of two operating nuclear power plants in Finland. It is situated on the Western coast of Finland, some 250 kilometers northwest of Helsinki. Also on the site of the NPP is a final disposal site for low and medium level radioactive waste. The Finnish final repository for high level radioactive waste is proposed to be at this location, too. The operator of the Olkiluoto NPP is Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO).

Olkiluoto is an island only separated by a narrow stretch of water from the mainland, connected by a bridge. It is owned by the nuclear industry. Olkiluoto is part of the municipality of Eurajoki, while the next town, Rauma, is part of another municipality, located only some 25 kilometers south of the nuclear power plant.

Nowadays, the uranium for the Olkiluoto units is supplied under long-term contracts, mainly from Canada and Australia. It is enriched in Russia and the EU. Fuel assemblies delivered to Olkiluoto are made in Germany, Spain and Sweden. The capacities of units 1 and 2 were first increased by 18.3 percent in 1998 to 840 MW each, and reached 860 MW each after another upgrading on June 1st, 2006. The current nominal power level of both units is 880 MW as of 2013.

The construction of the Olkiluoto-3 reactor by AREVA and Siemens is five years behind schedule and almost 100% above the original budget.

Between 1977 and 2008 a total of 94 incidents of the level INES-1 and a total of 7 incidents of the level INES-2 (INES = International Nuclear Event Scale) had been registered by the Finnish authorities for all nuclear facilities in the country. The published data does not provide detailed information about the accidents and the reactors where they occured.

Critics

 * Greenpeace
 * Iso Roobertinkatu 20-22 A, FIN-00120 Helsinki, Finland
 * phone: +358 9 622 922 00, +358 9 698 6317
 * fax: +358 9 622 922 22, email: [mailto:info.nordicATgreenpeace.org info.nordic AT greenpeace.org]
 * http://www.greenpeace.org/finland/


 * Olkiluoto Blockade
 * phone: +358 40 4437119, +358 40 4619154
 * email: [mailto:olkiluotoblockadeATriseup.net olkiluotoblockade AT riseup.net]
 * http://olkiluotoblockade2012.wordpress.com/english/

Links

 * Operator of Olkiluoto: http://www.tvo.fi/ Finnish/English
 * Critical view on Olkiluoto:
 * http://olkiluotoblockade.info Finnish/English
 * http://olkiluoto.info English/Finnish/Swedish
 * http://www.ecology.at/nni/index.php?p=site&s=207 English
 * http://www.contratom.de/2.0/index.php?mod=standort&id=504 German
 * Authorities' information on Olkiluoto:
 * http://www.iaea.or.at/programmes/a2/ English
 * http://www.stuk.fi/ydinturvallisuus/ydinvoimalaitokset/olkiluoto/en_GB/olkiluoto_tekniset/ English

Resources

 * Olkiluoto AFR Wet Spent Fuel Storage (TVO KPA)
 * Nuclear Site Olkiluoto in flexRISK
 * Finnish NPPs in PRIS

''Olkiluoto on the Nuclear Baltic Map: nr. 30''

Further information resources
Some historic key points:
 * Status of proposed nuclear plants in the Baltic Sea region as of August 29, 2012 :
 * Olkiluoto 3:
 * construction start: 2005
 * proposed operation begin: 2014
 * Olkiluoto 4:
 * proposed construction start: 2015
 * proposed operation begin: 2020
 * 21.12.1972: The Ministry of Trade and Industry gave principle approval for building a nuclear power plant.
 * 1973: The Parliament approved TVO's proposal of acquisition of an area at Olkiluoto.
 * 31.1.1974: The Ministry of Trade and Industry granted construction license for Olkiluoto 1 (OL1) in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act.
 * 1.2.1974: OL1's foundation stone was laid.
 * 4.8.1975: The Ministry of Trade and Industry granted construction license for Olkiluoto 2 (OL2) in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act.
 * 28.8.1975: Construction of OL2 unit was started.
 * 6.7.1978: The Council of State granted an operation licence for OL1.
 * 2.9.1978: OL1 was connected to the national grid for the first time. The power plant unit achieved full capacity for the first time in January 8, 1979.
 * 1.9.1979: The Council of Stae granted an operation licence for OL2.
 * 10.10.1979: OL1 was introduced into commercial operation.
 * 18.2.1980: OL2 was connected to the national grid for the first time. The power plant unit achieved full capacity for the first time in November 11, 1980.
 * 1.7.1982: OL2 was introduced into commercial operation.
 * 17.5.1984: The Council of State granted permission for increased power level for both power plant units.
 * 29.9.1987: Spent fuel was transferred for the first time from the plant to the Interim Storage Facility for Spent Fuel (KPA-Store).
 * 15.12.1988: The Council of State granted an operation licence for 10 years for both power plant units.
 * 29.9.1989: Total production of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant reached 100 TWh.
 * 16.3.1990: Training simulator was taken into use at Olkiluoto.
 * 8.5.1992: The first waste transfer to the low and medium-level nuclear waste repository (VLJ) was made.
 * 1998: Total production of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant reached 200 TWh.
 * 20.8.1998: The Council of State granted a new operation licence for both power plant units and the KPA-Store as well as for the low and medium-level waste interim storages.
 * 1998: Modernization programme of the power plant units, which lasted four years, was completed. After the modernization, the power level is 840 MW it is 18.3 per cent higher than the earlier nominal power level.
 * 30.8.1999: The environmental impact assessment report, i.e. EIA Report, of the environmental impact of a new nuclear power plant unit, which would possibly be built at Olkiluoto, was submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
 * 5.12.1999: A certificate based on the ISO 14001 standard was granted to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.
 * 15.11.2000: Application for Decision in principle concerning the new nuclear power plant unit was submitted to the Council of State.
 * 24.5.2002: The Finnish Parliament ratified the Decision in principle made 17th January 2002 by the Council of State supporting the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit either in Olkiluoto, Eurajoki or at Hästholmen, Lovisa.
 * 30.09.2002: TVO submitted bid inquiries for the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit.
 * 16.10.2003: Olkiluoto was chosen for the location site for the new power plant unit.
 * 18.12.2003: TVO's Board of Directors decided to invest in the new nuclear power plant unit Olkiluoto 3 (OL3). The Company signed a contract for the construction of a pressurized water reactor plant unit of some 1,600 MW with the consortium comprising AREVA NP GmbH, AREVA NP SAS and Siemens AG.
 * 16.2.2004: The excavation work at the OL3 site was started.
 * 10.12.2004: The festive tarring of the ground of the OL3 site.
 * 11.1.2005: The building permit for OL3 was granted by Eurajoki municipality.
 * 17.2.2005: The Council of State granted the construction licence for the OL3.
 * 26.4.2005: Total electricity production of OL1 and OL2 reached 300 TWh.
 * 12.8.2005: The actual construction work of OL3 began.
 * 12.9.2005: The OL3 foundation stone was laid.
 * 1.6.2006: Modernization programme of the Olkiluoto power plant units was completed. After the modernization the nominal power level is 860 MW.
 * 18.10.2006: OL3's actual casting of concrete began.
 * 31.5.2007: The environmental impact assessment programme (EIA programme) for the fourth nuclear power plant unit to be possibly built at Olkiluoto was submitted to the contact authority, the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
 * 25.4.2008: TVO filed to the Government an application for a decision-in-principal to construct a fourth nuclear power plant unit (OL4) at Olkiluoto. Simultaneously Posiva Oy filed an application-in-principle to expand its for spent fuel for OL4.
 * 2.9.2008: The anniversary of 30 years of nuclear energy production at Olkiluoto took place. During the three decades Olkiluoto has produced 350 TWh of electricity.
 * 2009: The production of electricity of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in 2009 was the highest in the history of the operational history. The total annual production of the power plant units was 14.5 TWh. The two units produce annually some sixth of the electricity in Finland.