physics

Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant

Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant rather than just read about it. In short: The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant (Finnish: Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos, Swedish: Olkiluoto kärnkraftverk) is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), and is located on Olkiluoto Island, on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, in the municipality of Eurajoki in western Finland, about 20 kilometres (12…

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant (Finnish: Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos, Swedish: Olkiluoto kärnkraftverk) is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), and is located on Olkiluoto Island, on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, in the municipality of Eurajoki in western Finland, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the town of Rauma and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the city of Pori. The Olkiluoto plant consists of two boiling water reactors (BWRs), each with a capacity of 890 MW, and one EPR type reactor (unit 3) with a capacity of 1,600 MW. This makes unit 3 currently the most powerful nuclear power plant unit in Europe and the third most powerful globally. Construction of unit 3 began in 2005. Commercial operation, originally scheduled for May 2009, began on 1 May 2023. A decision-in-principle for a fourth reactor to be built at the site was granted by the Finnish parliament in July 2010, but in June 2015 TVO decided that it would not apply for a construction license for Olkiluoto 4.

Units 1 and 2 Units 1 and 2 consists of two BWRs, each producing 890 MW of electricity. The main contractor was ASEA-Atom, now a part of Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB. Turbine generators were supplied by Stal-Laval. The units' architecture was designed by ASEA-Atom. The reactor pressure vessels were constructed by Uddcomb Sweden AB, and reactor internal parts, mechanical components by Finnatom. The electrical equipment was supplied by Strömberg. Unit 1 was constructed by Atomirakennus and unit 2 by Jukola and Työyhtymä. Unit 1 achieved its initial criticality in July 1978 and it started commercial operations in October 1979. Unit 2 achieved its initial criticality in October 1979 and it started commercial operations in July 1982. The original power of the reactors was 660 MW. They were uprated to 710 MW in 1983–1984, to 840 MW in 1995–1998, and further to 860 MW in 2005–2006. Major upgrades were carried out to the units in 2010 and 2011, including replacement of turbines and generators, isolation valves, electrical switchgear and seawater pumps. The upgrades increased the net electrical output by 20 MW to 880 MW each. In 2017, unit 2 was upgraded and modernized, increasing the output further to 890 MW from the beginning of 2018. A similar upgrade to unit 1 was performed in 2018. The extended maintenance was also made to prepare for a license renewal application. The license extension was granted in September 2018 and allows the reactors to operate until 2038. In 2023, TVO announced it is considering seeking another license extension of at least 10 years and a power uprate of 80 MW to 970 MW. The environmental impact assessment program, published in January 2024, investigates options to extend the lifetime by 10 or 20 years at the current power or uprating to 970 MW (in 2028 at the earliest) in addition to the 10 or 20-year extension.

Unit 3

Unit 3 is a EPR, a type of third generation pressurized water reactor. It has a nameplate capacity of 1600 MW. Japan Steel Works and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactured the unit's 526-ton reactor pressure vessel. Construction started in 2005, and the start of commercial operation was planned for 2010. This was pushed back several times only starting regular production in 2023, 18 years after the start of construction.

History In February 2005, the Finnish government gave its permission to TVO to construct a new nuclear reactor, making Finland the first Western European country in 15 years to order one. The construction of the unit began in 2005. Olkiluoto 3 was the first EPR to have begun construction. At the start of construction, the main contractor was Areva NP (now Framatome), a joint venture of Areva and Siemens. However, in 2009, Siemens sold its one-third share of Areva NP to Areva, which became the main contractor. Siemens remained on the project as the subcontractor with the main responsibility for constructing the turbine hall. Areva later sold its majority stake in Framatome, its nuclear reactor and fuel business, to Électricité de France. According to TVO, the construction phase of the project would create a total of about 30,000 person-years of employment directly and indirectly; that the highest number of on-site employees has been almost 4,400; and that the operation phase would create 150 to 200 permanent jobs. A 90 MW battery storage was scheduled for 2022. On 8 December 2021, the company submitted its application to Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority asking permission to start up Unit 3 and to move forward with initial testing of the unit. This was granted on 16 December 2021. First criticality of the OL3 EPR plant unit was reached on 21 December 2021. An unplanned SCRAM occurred on 14 January 2022, delaying connection to the national grid to February 2022. Electricity production of Olkiluoto's third nuclear power plant unit started on 12 March 2022 at 12.01 p.m. In May 2022, foreign material detached from the steam guide plates was found in the turbine steam reheater, and the plant was shut down for about three months of repair work. In September 2022, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) granted a licence for the Olkiluoto 3 reactor to increase its power output to more than 60 percent to a full 4,300 MW of thermal capacity. On 30 September 2022, the reactor achieved its design output power. In October 2022, damage was discovered in the feedwater pumps and unit 3 was shut down for an investigation, delaying the end of commissioning testing. On 28 October, it was announced that cracks a few centimetres long had been found in all four of the feedwater pump impellers. The feedwater pumps are larger than in other nuclear reactors. In January 2023, it was announced that new more robust impellers will be installed in all four feedwater pumps, and test operation at full power should restart in February. The plant started regular electricity production on 16 April 2023 after test production and commercial operation on 1 May 2023. Unusual for nuclear reactors in Scandinavia, OL3 reduced production in May 2023 due to negative market prices during the spring thaw when hydropower was unable to absorb surplus.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant

In research: Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Satakunta, Eurajoki, Nuclear power stations in Finland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in simple terms?

Why does Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant.