Fortum submits EIA report on Loviisa nuke plant

Finnish state majority-owned energy company Fortum [Power and Heat Ltd] on Monday submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The report assessed the environmental impact of continuing the operation of, or alternatively, decommissioning the Loviisa nuclear power plant as well as the impact of the final disposal facility of low and intermediate-level waste, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in a press release.

The Ministry, acting as a coordinating authority in the project, issued a statement on the EIA programme in November 2020.

In its opinion, the Ministry stated that the company’s plans to carry out the environmental impact assessment were sufficient, provided that the matters presented in the opinion were taken into account.

The Ministry requested that report include further details on the management of the ageing of the plant and take into consideration climate change and cooling water.

The Ministry also requested that that the company provides more information on nuclear waste management and the prevention and consequences of accidents.

Fortum’s EIA report has also assessed the impact of the project on people’s living conditions, wellbeing and health as well as the environment, waters, groundwater, fisheries, nature sites, landscape and cultural environment. In addition, the project’s impact on community structure and regional economy has been assessed.

The two primary alternatives in Fortum’s EIA process are either continuing the use of both units until about 2050 or decommissioning the nuclear power plant after the expiration of the current licences in 2027 and 2030.

The Ministry will request opinions on it from authorities and organisations and will organise a hearing with citizens and communities. The consultation period is between 20 September and 18 November 2021 and the consultation will be carried out online. A public hearing on the project will take place in Loviisa on 7 October 2021 at 18.00–21.00.

The coordinating authority will release its informed conclusion in January 2022. The EIA report will be attached to the application for an operating or decommissioning licence concerning the future of the power plant in due course.

The coordinating authority for the project’s EIA procedure is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and for international hearings, the Ministry of the Environment.