OL3 nuke plant starts power generation

The regular electricity production at the Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear power plant started on Sunday, said the owner of the plant Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) in a press release.

Although the power generation at the OL3 was scheduled to be started in 2009, it delayed about 14 years due to various difficulties.

From now about 30 percent of Finnish electricity will be produced in Olkiluoto, which will make Finland almost self-sufficient.

The electricity production volume of Europe's largest nuclear power plant unit is a significant addition to clean, domestic production.

OL3 will produce electricity at ca. 1600 Megawatt (MW). The plant unit is intrinsically operated at full power output. The first annual outages will take place in March 2024.

The plant unit will produce energy for at least the next 60 years, said TVO.

“The production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilises the price of electricity and plays an important role in the Finnish green transition. The electrification of the society continues and environmentally friendly electricity production is undoubtedly one of the top trump cards that Finland has,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of TVO Jarmo Tanhua.

“This is a historical day, the benefits that we promised OL3 would bring to the Finnish society are realised. I am proud of all the nuclear professionals involved in the project,” said Marjo Mustonen, Senior Vice President for Electricity Production.

In the Olkiluoto 3 project, people were employed from more than 80 different countries.

At its highest, manpower on the site was 4,500. The nuclear test production phase alone comprised some 3,300 tests with more than 9,000 test reports collated. The project had a significant impact on regional economy, particularly in the Satakunta region.

The electricity test production of Olkiluoto 3 resumed In December 2022 after a glitch in October.

The Finnish national electricity transmission grid operator, Fingrid also arranged a separate Fault Ride Through test to ensure the reliability of Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant in December 2022.