Contract for refurbishment of Loviisa turbines
31 May 2024
Finnish utility Fortum has awarded a contract to Doosan Škoda Power to modernise the low-pressure turbines at its Loviisa nuclear power plant as part of lifetime extension-related investments. The modernisation of the turbines will also increase the total capacity of the Loviisa power plant by about 38 MWe.
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The Loviisa plant (Image: Fortum)
The Loviisa plant - comprising two VVER-440 type pressurised water reactors - was the first nuclear power plant in Finland and currently provides more than 10% of the country's electricity. Loviisa unit 1 began commercial operation in 1977, with unit 2 following in 1981. In February 2023, the Finnish government granted Fortum an extension to the operating licence for the two-units, allowing the Loviisa plant to continue generating power until the end of 2050.
The modernisation of the low-pressure turbines will start in 2026 and will be carried out in conjunction with the normal annual outages. The project will involve the replacement of eight low-pressure turbine housings and their internal parts. The project will significantly improve the efficiency of the turbine plant's electricity production without increasing the thermal output of the reactor.
It will result in an increase in the total capacity of the plant of about 38 MWe from the plant's current capacity of 1014 MWe and will raise the expected generation from plant over the course of the new licence period from 170 TWh to 177 TWh.
"Extending the lifetime of the power plant is a major investment with a positive impact - both economically and in terms of employment," said Sasu Valkamo, senior vice president of the Loviisa plant. "Modernising the low-pressure turbines is our first significant investment in preparation for the lifetime extension. Our aim is for the power plant to operate during the new operating licence period just as stably, reliably and safely as it has so far.
"Doosan Škoda Power is a seasoned turbine supplier, and we have good experiences working with them. In our previous modernisation project, Doosan Škoda Power also supplied us with high-pressure turbines."
"Fortum is our long-term customer and we are very proud to be part of this new important modernisation project at the Loviisa nuclear power plant," added Radek Trněný, Head of Sales Nuclear at Doosan Škoda Power, a Czech subsidiary of South Korea's Doosan Group. "Nuclear power is a strategic segment for us, and this contract is further confirmation that we are on the right track."
Over the past five years, Fortum has invested some EUR200 million (USD217 million) in refurbishing the Loviisa plant. The company estimates that investments related to the continuation of operations and the lifetime extension will amount to approximately EUR1 billion by 2050.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News