Approval for Hanhikivi plans ahead of vote

The Commerce Committee of the Parliament of Finland has given its approval to Fennovoima's plans to build a Rosatom reactor at Hanhikvi. The Finnish government is to take a final vote on an amended decision-in-principle in a plenary session on 5 December.

The Commerce Committee of the Parliament of Finland has given its approval to Fennovoima's plan to build a Rosatom reactor at Hanhikvi. The Finnish government is to take a final vote on an amended decision-in-principle in a plenary session on 5 December.

How an AES-2006 plant could appear at Hanhikivi (Image: Fennovoima)

The government issued a decision-in-principle in favour of the construction of a 1500-2500 MWe capacity plant at Hanhikivi in 2010. Fennovoima's original application had foreseen Areva's EPR and SWR-1000 and Toshiba's ABWR as possible reactors choices. However, in 2013 Fennovoima signed a plant supply contract with Rusatom Overseas for an AES-2006 power plant with a 1200 MWe VVER reactor.

Earlier this year the company applied to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy to supplement the 2010 decision-in-principle to include the Rosatom reactor. The decision-in-principle will be nullified if Fennovoima does not submit an application for a construction licence by 30 June 2015.

In September, the country's minister of economic affairs recommended that the government approve Fennovoima's supplement while rejecting an application from Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) for an extension to a decision-in-principle for a fourth unit at Olkiluoto.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News