Number one in Europe
Finland puts super nuclear reactor on the grid
04/16/2023, 4:10 p.m
Finland relies on nuclear power to replace the lack of energy imports from Russia. The newest reactor is also the most powerful in all of Europe. A long and expensive project.
While Germany has shut down its last three nuclear power plants, a new nuclear reactor went online in Finland more than twelve years late. “All tests have been completed and regular electricity production has started today,” said operator TVO. The EPR brand pressurized water reactor is the third reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in south-west Finland and, according to TVO, will cover “14 percent of the country’s electricity production”.
The Olkiluoto 3 reactor was built by the Franco-German Areva-Siemens consortium; construction began in 2005. With 1,600 megawatts, it is the most powerful nuclear reactor in Europe. According to the operator, together with the two older reactors, the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant now produces “about 30 percent of Finland’s electricity”.
Developed by France, the EPR reactor model was intended to revive nuclear power after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, offering more power with greater safety. However, there were not only problems with the construction in Finland. There are also delays and cost explosions in EPR projects in France and Great Britain.
Among other things, Finland relies on nuclear power to replace energy imports from Russia. In addition to Olkiluoto, there is another power plant with two reactors, Loviisa. Nuclear reactors are extremely expensive, with Olkiluoto 3 costing $6.4 billion more than planned. In addition, reactors take years to build, yet they are a reliable alternative to wind and solar farms and emit little CO2. The Vice President of the operating company TVO, Marjo Mustonen, spoke at Olkiluoto 3 last December of “Finland’s greatest act for the climate”.