The government of Finland agreed to extend the permit for the Loviisa nuclear power plant in the Gulf of Finland to operate up to 2050. The powerplant was built in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Originally, the exploitation license for the use of two active reactors of the power plant, developed with Soviet technology, was expected to end in 2027 and 2030.
The decision was explained by the security and energy self-sufficiency of the country, as well as maintaining a lower level of electricity prices, as informed by the Finnish Council of Ministers.
Finland extends the use of two nuclear power plant units until 2050.
Built in 1977 and 1980, this will secure 8 TWh of clean energy annually.
Due to increasing nuclear and wind, 🇫🇮⚡️is already 90% carbon free and will reach 100% in the nearby years.https://t.co/Nv5Nk09nVK
— Teppo Säkkinen (@tepposakkinen) February 16, 2023
The power plant in Loviisa, located about 100 km east of Helsinki, produces and supplies about 10 percent of the country’s domestic demand for electricity. Its first reactor was launched in 1977, and the second in 1980.
The state-owned energy company Fortum applied for an extension of the permission to use the power plant in the spring of last year. After the start of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, the Finnish authorities withdrew from the project of building a new power plant in the Gulf of Bothnia, which was supposed to be built together with Russian state-owned nuclear tech company, Rosatom.
Fortum looks to extend operation of Loviisa plant : Corporate – World Nuclear News https://t.co/ntczdaYeLB pic.twitter.com/5ueRjZU71q
— Nuclear Focus (@nuclearfocus) August 17, 2020
After the EU and the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia, Finland’s authorities worried about the supply of nuclear fuel from across the eastern border, necessary for the operation of the Loviisa power plant. Russian uranium is not covered by sanctions, but its replacement is problematic due to the technology of the power plant, as reported by Finland’s national news agency STT.
Another nuclear power plant in Finland, Olkiluoto, is located on the west coast of the country, about 100 km north of Turku. It has two working reactors OL1 and OL2, built at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. The reactors were built with Swedish technology. The plant produced around one-fifth of the electricity consumed in the country in 2022.
Finland's much delayed Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor has started test production. It’s Europe’s first new nuclear plant in almost 15 years and is expected to meet 14% of Finland's electricity demand reducing the need for imports https://t.co/qV9UQ9D4e3 pic.twitter.com/r2db90uCOf
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2022
After building the new OL3 reactor in the power plant, developed by a Franco-German consortium, the power plant is to cover over 30 percent of national electricity demand. The third reactor shall start operating back in 2008, but due to reported technical problems and radiation safety issues, its final connection to the grid was postponed several times.
As the power plant operator TVO announced – the start of regular electricity supply by the third reactor is planned for the beginning of April this year.