There has been a lot of going on in the nuclear energy field in the Nordic countries during past few months. Now we are going to dig deep and find out these achievements from nuclear energy industry in Finland and Sweden.
Olkiluoto 3 EPR nuclear power plant finally started to operate
One of the best news in Finland in the past few weeks has been the start of the electricity generation in Olkiluoto 3. OL3 was connected to the national grid on 12th of March, finally after long wait.
As TVO (Teollisuuden Voima Oyj) announced in the article on their website OL3 has a huge positive impact on Finland’s electricity self-sufficiency. But first and for the most OL3 helps Finland to achieve its carbon neutral goals. As TVO says in their website, this truly is the greatest climate act in Finland.
The regular electricity generation starts on July 2022 and after that 30% of Finland’s electricity will be generated with the commissioning of the most powerful nuclear unit in the world. Before that OL3 will produce about 14% of Finland’s total electricity consumption. During the test production phase, you can follow the forecast from here.
New license for Loviisa nuclear power plant?
Finnish Utility Fortum announced great news in the beginning of March: they will apply for new operating licence for both units in Loviisa nuclear power plant until the end of the 2050. Once again this is amazing news for Finland’s carbon neutral goals.
Investments related to continuing of operations and lifetime extension will amount to an estimated one billion euros until 2050.
Nuclear power is a key pillar of emission free electricity production for Fortum. Continuing electricity production in Loviisa would secure the clean electricity production from Fortum’s side.
The power plant in Loviisa has been operated over forty years and it generates about 10% of Finland’s total electricity consumption. Even after all these years the plant is in good condition and can safely continue operations.
Fortum will apply the licence by the end of March. The application process is estimated to take about a year. After that Finnish Government will announce its decision based on various expert statements. As Fortum’s President and CEO Markus Rauramo proudly says Fortum is a trusted producer of nuclear power in Finland and hopefully it can continue its operation.
ONKALO® the final disposal as the first in the world
As the first in the world Finland’s radioactive waste management company, Posiva Oy, has developed a solution for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, ONKALO® repository located in Olkiluoto. This is the result from over 40 years of research and demonstrates of the disposal of used nuclear fuel.
As Posiva introduces in their website, ONKALO® is the final disposal solution in the depth of 400-430 m in the Finnish crystalline bedrock, which is one of the oldest in the world. Posiva began the construction of the disposal facility in 2016. Posiva announced that it has submitted the application to the Finnish Government for an operating licence for the encapsulation and final disposal facility of spent nuclear fuel and will conduct a Trial Run of Final Disposal in 2023.
A long-term safety for the spent fuel is estimated to last up to million years and it is based on the multi-barrier principal, where radioactive materials are safely isolated in several mutually supportive barriers. Posiva has said that even though it is impossible to estimate all possible scenarios, the final disposal of spent fuel does not cause harm to humans or the environment.
Small Modular Reactor and final repository in Sweden
In the beginning of this year Swedish Modular Reactors AB received funding of over SEK99 million from the Swedish Energy Agency. The funding is for the demonstration LeadCold SEALER, lead-cooled small modular reactor at the Oskarshamn plant site. An electrically powered non-nuclear 1:56 scale prototype SEALER at Oskarhamn will be operated for five years starting in 2024.
SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) is a passively safe lead-cooled reactor, and it is designed for commercial power production. The Sealer design is clamed to generate 3-10 MWe over a 10-30 year period without refueling.
Another great news from Sweden is that SKB, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co, has received approval from the Swedish government to build a final repository in Sweden.
As SKB CEO Johan Dasht said the final repository will be Sweden’s largest project for environmental protection. It provides long-term solutions for electricity generation and therefore helps to achieve fossil-free living within one generation.
The next step in this project is to establish conditions for the facilities. It will take about 10 years to build the repository, but the constructions can start after all licences are in place. The final repository project will create about 1500 jobs and the project will be financed by funds from the Nuclear Waste Fund.
Small Modular Reactor in Finland
Small Modular Reactors are recognized as a potential cleaner energy producers and climate change mitigators also in Finland. There is keen interest in developing and to use small modular reactors and non-electric uses of nuclear energy for district heating as well as for the production of industrial heat, hydrogen, chemicals and synthetic fuels.
Nordic Nuclear Forum
Nordic Nuclear Forum is the event for the civil nuclear business sector. Tickets to the event are now on sale! Check out the different ticket options to the event from our website!
The event engages nuclear business representatives from the utilities, technology providers, major contracting companies and all tiers of the supply chain, as well as representatives from the government, and regulatory bodies of nuclear newcomer and operating countries. Many Nordic companies from nuclear field are going to be a part of the event. You can explore these participating companies from this website.
Are you interested to be a part of the NNF2022 as an exhibitor? Great news, there are still few exhibitor packages left! Showcase your competences, products and services and maximize the visibility of your business. More information about exhibitor packages from here.
