Finland considers extending the life and increasing the capacity of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant

Finnish company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) has announced the launch of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the possible extension of the operating licences and potential increase in the capacity of units 1 and 2 at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The plant is important to the country both for meeting its energy needs and achieving its environmental targets.

Olkiluoto 1 and 2, boiling water reactors first connected to the electricity grid in September 1978 and February 1980, currently account for 15% of Finland's electricity consumption.

In September 2018, the Finnish government approved a 20-year extension of the operating licences for both units. The new licences replaced TVO's previous operating licences, which were valid until the end of 2018. Both reactors can now operate until the end of 2038.

TVO is now considering a further extension of the operating licences by at least 10 years.

“Extending the life of the units would support domestic electricity generation regardless of the season and weather conditions, as well as efforts to achieve Finland’s and Europe’s climate targets,” said Marjo Mustonen, TVO’s Director of Electricity Generation.

The company stressed that both units are upgraded during scheduled annual outages and that significant investments have been made, meaning they “remain in excellent operating condition”.

TVO invests approximately 50 million EUR (approx. CZK 1.23 billion) annually in Olkiluoto 1 and 2. These investments have also made it possible to increase the units’ installed capacity from the original 660 MWe to the current 890 MWe.

In addition to extending the operating licences, TVO is also examining options for further increasing the capacity of the units. The possibility of adding 80 MWe of installed capacity to each unit is being assessed, which would raise the installed capacity of each from 890 MWe to approximately 970 MWe. This would increase annual electricity generation by 1.2 TWh, TVO noted. Decisions on the licence extensions and capacity increase will be made after the EIA study is completed.

The new Olkiluoto 3 reactor

The third unit at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant first reached criticality on 21 December 2021 and was connected to the grid on 12 March 2022.

The pressurised water reactor, an EPR with an installed capacity of 1600 MWe, then entered the trial operation phase, during which more than 3300 tests were conducted and more than 9000 test reports were produced.

The unit entered commercial operation on 1 May this year. OL3 now accounts for approximately 15% of Finland’s total electricity consumption.