Construction of Pyhäjoki plant unlikely before 2019

Fennovoima is unlikely to get the permission for starting construction of its proposed nuclear power plant at Pyhäjoki before 2019.

The company on Monday disclosed this revised estimate of the implementation process of the Russia-Finn joint venture which earlier expected the permission by 2018.

Fennovoima submitted its application for a construction licence to the government in the summer of 2015, said a press release.

The application includes, inter alia, a general description of the plant site, plant type, main safety systems, and Fennovoima’s organization structure. The construction of the nuclear power plant has been approved by the Finnish government, but the issuance of a construction licence requires a positive safety assessment from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK).

Fennovoima is now in the process of supplying STUK with the design documents of the nuclear power plant for assessment.

“We have reviewed the progress of the work and decided to reschedule our goal to obtain the licence for 2019. Taking Finnish requirements and legislation into consideration in the design work has taken more time from the plant supplier than we originally expected. Since the delivery of documents during the first two years has been slower than expected, neither STUK has been able to carry out their own assessment work on the scale they planned,” said Fennovoima CEO Toni Hemminki.

According to Hemminki, things are developing in the right direction. For example, the plant supplier and main designer have brought almost one hundred new experts to Helsinki during the last spring and summer. This has speeded up the work significantly. The Hanhikivi 1 power plant will use Rosatom’s VVER technology.

“Rosatom has built dozens of nuclear power plants around the world, and it is the most experienced nuclear power plant supplier in the world. So I am confident about the end result. For us, it is a big advantage that Hanhikivi 1’s reference power plant LAES-2 will be completed in Sosnovy Bor next year. All the latest knowhow and experience will be at our disposal during the construction phase,” Hemminki added.

Fennovoima will provide a more detailed estimate for the schedule of the construction licence documents once the schedule has been analysed with the plant supplier.

When completed, Hanhikivi 1 will produce about 9 TWh of zero-emission electricity per year. In 2016, electricity consumption in Finland amounted to approximately 85 TWh.

The Finnish government approved the controversial Russian-built Fennovoima nuclear plant in mid September 2014. The Vihreä Liito (Green League) on September 18, 2014 resigned from the then five-party ruling alliance following the government decision to approve the Fennovoima nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki.