After months of delays, Finland’s next-generation Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor has resumed normal production, producing approximately 14% of the country’s electricity on its own, according to its operator TVO.
The European pressurised water reactor (EPR), which was already more than 12 years behind schedule, was expected to go operational in December, but the launch date was pushed back numerous times throughout the testing phase.
“Test production has been completed and regular electricity production started today,” TVO said. “From now on, about 30 percent of Finnish electricity is produced in Olkiluoto,” which already had two reactors.
Finland had planned to rely on the new reactor for its electrical needs this winter, citing concerns about energy shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Olkiluoto 3, Europe’s most powerful nuclear reactor, with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, gained full power in late September for the first time since construction began in 2005.
The French-developed EPR was intended to relaunch nuclear power in Europe following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and it was marketed as having greater power and safety.
However, delays and cost overruns have plagued EPR projects in Finland, France, and the United Kingdom.
