Finland: Olkiluoto permitted to add electricity to the grid

The Finish government has granted an operating permission to the newly built nuclear power Plant Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) in Western Finland on 7 March 2019, according to local media reports. The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority STUK already gave the project the green light, under the condition that the operator TVO deal with a technical problem in the primary circuit. Thus, the newly built European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) may be connected to the grid in January 2020.

The construction and beginning of operation has been delayed by 11 years by now and the costs are three times as high as originally planned. The reactor will produce 1,600 megawatts and cover 15% of Finland's electricity demands. The permit is valid until 2038. The reactor is planned to operate until 2080. The nuclear waste of the reactor, as well as that of the other four Finnish reactors, is planned to be deposed at a final repository that is under construction at Olkiluoto.