Accident at nuclear construction site

Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) has reported a "serious occupational accident" at the construction site of its Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power reactor. A British worker fell 8 m from the '0-level' of the turbine building. TVO said the man was taken immediately to hospital and his condition was serious. On 24 September, TVO reported that the man had died as a result of his injuries. The accident is still being investigated. Construction work continues at the site in western Finland, where an Areva and Siemens consortium is building a 1600 MWe pressurized water reactor. Two boiling water reactors already operate at Olkiluoto. Separately, the Finnish radiation and safety authority, Stuk, announced on 12 September that welding could continue on prefabricated segments of the containment steel liner. Stuk had earlier found that some welds had been unsatisfactory, and ordered welding work to stop until problems had been addressed.