Finland - Olkiluoto 3

The contract

Customer: Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO)

Supplier: Consortium formed by AREVA NP and Siemens AG (73%/27%), led by AREVA NP

Supply scope: 1 EPR™ unit in turnkey construction

Net electric output: 1,600 MWe

Reactor thermal output: 4,300 MW

Signature date: December 18, 2003

The customer

Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is a private electricity generation company owned by Finnish industrial and power companies, to which TVO supplies electricity at cost price.

The company owns and operates 2 nuclear power plant units – Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2 (OL1 and OL2) – in the municipality of Eurajoki on the west coast of Finland.

Scope of supply

The consortium is constructing the EPR™ on a turnkey basis.

AREVA

Is leading the consortium and is responsible for the overall project coordination and the functional and technical integration of the complete plant, including:

• Civil works for the complete Nuclear Island (NI):
• Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS), Balance of Nuclear Island (BNI), Balance-of-plant (BOP) and Operational Instrumentation and Control (I&C)
  • Engineering and design
  • Procurement and delivery of equipment
  • Digital control system:
  • Access building and waste building
• Digital control system
• Training of the operators
• Supply of the first fuel core
• Overall project coordination

Siemens

• Complete Turbine Island (TI), including:
  • Balance of TI
  • Civil works 
  • Engineering and design
  • Procurement and delivery of electro-mechanical equipment
  • Turbo-generator protection and control system
  • Erection and commissioning.

TVO

• Owner
• Licensing with the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland (STUK) Authority.

Licensing process

OL3 is proceeding through a rigorous two-step Finnish licensing process. The Finnish National Safety Authority (STUK) reviews all detailed design and construction methods (for Nuclear Island) prior to the plant’s operation.
This process includes a steady production rate of engineering documents (>120,000) for submission to TVO and STUK approval.

This licensing is being conducted in parallel with project execution and through an intense 3 parties interface with the customer TVO and STUK. The Finnish Government granted the construction license for Olkiluoto 3 on February 17, 2005 on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the EPR™ design.

A continuous need to production, jointly examination and approval for (additional) solutions in the areas of project engineering, manufacture and construction while the work is being carried out are conducted all along the implementation of the project.

Key milestones

November 2001: TVO filed an application with the Finnish Government for a decision in principle on a new nuclear power plant

January 2002: The Finish Government made the decision in principle in favor of the new unit and the decision was ratified by Parliament in May 2002

December 2003: After a bidding competition lasting over a year, TVO selected the AREVA EPR™ design to be built at Olkiluoto

July 2005: Start of construction, first concrete pouring

May 2006: Lifting and installation of the bottom part of containment liner

June 2007: Reactor building containment liner rises to level +12,5 m

May 2008: Fuel Building APC Shell completed

January 2009: Reactor Pressure Vessel and Vessel head arrival on site

May 2009: Main control room lifting in Safeguard Building 2

Summer 2009: Polar Crane installation, Dome installation

Autumn 2009: Steam Generators delivery on site

September 2009: EPR™ dome installed

June 2010: Installation of the reactor pressure vessel in the reactor building

November 2011: Installation of heavy components of the primary cooling system complete

Quotation

What they said about the OL3 project

“Olkiluoto is the safest power plant in the world in its size category.”
Jukka Laaksonen, Director General STUK, on Finnish News TV Channel MTV, January 16, 2007

“The EPR™ is the most advanced technology worldwide.”
Martin Landtman, Senior Vice President, Project OL3, TVO, in Handelsblatt, Germany, August 13, 2007

"Dominion appreciates ... your openness and sharing of lessons learned that are not only helpful, but also reflective of true nuclear professionalism."  
Dave Christian, President & CNO, Dominion Generation, October 19, 2007

"Being very impressed by this important project for all partners involved and the entire nuclear industry we wish the teams best success and above all safety for everybody involved. Thank you very much for the excellent prepared visit and hospitality."
Gerd Jäger on behalf of the RWE team May 5, 2008

“I want to assure you that my judgment of the Olkiluoto 3 project success is based solely on the actual performance of AREVA in providing adequate quality and safety. In spite of some difficulties met in the past I have no doubt about the acceptability of the final product. I have tried to indicate in all of my discussions with the technical and public audience that I am still very pleased with the choice made by TVO when they signed the contract with AREVA in 2003. I fully recognize the value of AREVA’s pioneering work in re-establishing the capability for nuclear construction in the western world and in the USA, and I do not believe that any other company could have done better in these circumstances."

"AREVA and its subcontractors remain the world's leaders in the nuclear industry. They offer the best product and the safest product."

Jukka Laaksonen, head of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (STUK), in a letter to AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon, May 2008

“We have learned much of value on our visit today. This is a pathfinder project of enormous significance for the whole nuclear industry. Both in conception and execution, the EPR™ is a leader for the 21st century. We have been impressed by the progress on site, admiring of the organization, discipline and attitude to safety and extremely appreciative of the warmth of our welcome.“ 
Sir Adrian Montague, British Energy Chairman, May 20, 2008.