The operator of Finland’s Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), has announced that the plant’s 1.6 GW unit 3 reached full power, as the commissioning tests are continuing on Europe’s largest reactor.
The first power on Olkiluoto 3 was achieved in March 2022, and regular electricity production from the EPR reactor is scheduled to start in December 2022, as Europe is trying to secure a stable energy supply for the winter.
The Olkiluoto 3 project was built by a consortium of Areva GmbH, Areva NP and Siemens under a fixed-price turnkey contract. Construction started in 2005 for an expected commissioning in 2009. However, the project has been hit by repeated delays and rising costs (from an initial estimate of €3.2bn to around €11bn).
The Olkiluoto nuclear plant, located near the city of Rauma in southwestern Finland, currently holds three units, with Olkiluoto 1 and 2 reaching 880 MW each and Olkiluto 3 reaching 1.6 GW. The plant is owned by TVO (73%) and Fortum (27%).