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Five designs compete for next Olkiluoto build

Friday, 1 February 2013

All invited bidders have submitted proposals for a new reactor at the Olkiluoto power plant, said owner TVO. The competition is between Areva, GE-Hitachi, KHNP, Mitsubishi and Toshiba.

All invited bidders have submitted proposals for a new reactor at the Olkiluoto power plant, said owner TVO. The competition is between Areva, GE-Hitachi, KHNP, Mitsubishi and Toshiba.

Areva EPR

GE-Hitachi ESBWR

APR1400 (KHNP)

South Korea's APR1400

EU-APWR

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries APWR

ABWR (2)

Toshiba ABWR

The head of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), Jarmo Tanhua, said he was "contented with the dedication with which the suppliers have carried out various technical studies to ensure the plants they offer fulfil our strict requirements related to safety, constructability and reliable operation."

The company asked for nuclear units to generate 1450-1750 MWe and received submissions regarding Areva's EPR, GE-Hitachi's ESBWR, South Korea's APR1400 via a KHNP consortium, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' APWR and Toshiba's ABWR.

Next will come a competitive review process involving about 150 TVO's staff, who will assess the investment costs and different delivery methods, said Janne Mokka, who is in charge of the Olkiluoto 4 project (dubbed OL4).

TVO already operates two ABB-supplied boiling water reactors reactors from the late 1970s as well as a wind turbine at the Olkiluoto power plant on Finland's west coast. An Areva EPR unit remains under construction having suffered considerable delays. The company said it plans to submit an application to government to build the fouth unit in mid-2015, in keeping with the schedule it published around one year ago when soliciting bids.

In 2008 an environmental impact assessment by TVO concluded that a fourth reactor would have a positive effect on the local economy without causing danger to the public. Permanent residents in the area showed 55% support for expanding the power plant.

The same year, TVO applied for a government decision in principle to construct a light water reactor as the fourth unit at Olkiluoto. The government made favorable decision on that in May 2010 and parliament voted in favour a few months later.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News