Electricity | TVO: Olkiluoto’s electricity production at the beginning of the year was lower than last year

Olkiluoton In the beginning of the year, the nuclear power plant’s three units produced less electricity than in the corresponding period last year, says Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) in its interim report.

The total electricity production in January-June was 10,372 gigawatt hours, while last year with the equivalent 11,030 gigawatt hours were produced in the period. The period coincided with the first annual maintenance of the Olkiluoto triple reactor (OL3), which dragged on longer than expected, lasting two and a half months from the beginning of March to the middle of May.

The annual maintenance of the first and second reactors also stretched beyond the planned schedule. The maintenance of OL1 took more than a month, in the case of OL2, the fuel change stoppage was completed in just under two weeks.

TVO has applied for a life extension and a power increase for both the first and second reactors. The purpose is to extend the useful life of the facilities from the current year 2038 to 2048, possibly until 2058. At the same time, a power increase is being prepared for the units, in which case their power would be increased from the current 890 megawatts to 970 megawatts. The first reactor was connected to the network in 1978, the second reactor in 1980.

The maximum output of the triple reactor can also be increased, as the grid company Fingrid has removed the 1,570 megawatt limit previously set for it. The maximum production can thus be increased to 1,590 megawatts. However, power has been limited in situations where Fingrid’s system protection has not been sufficiently available. The production power of all three units has been calculated in situations where electricity production in the Nordic countries has been high.

In its interim report, TVO also reported that the group’s turnover at the beginning of the year was 465 million euros, up from 341 million last year. The third unit’s electricity production is behind the higher turnover than the previous year.

TVO operates on the cost or Mankala principle. The costs are charged to the shareholders in the price of electricity, in which case the result is basically zero.

TVO’s largest owner is Pohjolan Voima with a 58.5 percent share, whose largest owner is the forestry company UPM. The energy company Fortum owns a good quarter of TVO.