EIA programme submitted for Olkiluoto 1 and 2
08 January 2024
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme for a possible operating licence extension and power uprating of units 1 and 2 at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant has been submitted by Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) to Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM).
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Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 (Image: TVO)
Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 - which were first connected to the grid in September 1978 and February 1980, respectively - currently meet 15% of Finland's electricity demand.
In September 2018, the Finnish government approved a 20-year extension to the operating licences of both units. The new licence replaced TVO's then current operating licences, issued in 1998, which were valid until the end of 2018. The two boiling water reactors are currently permitted to operate until the end of 2038.
TVO announced in October last year that it had initiated an EIA procedure for the licence extension and power uprate. The company is considering extending the operating licences by a further 10-20 years and increasing the power output of each reactor from 890 MW to approximately 970 MWe.
On 5 January, TVO submitted an EIA programme, as required under Finnish law. In the assessment of environmental impacts, the current state of the environment is determined and the environmental impacts caused by the project and their significance are assessed. Matters to be evaluated in the EIA procedure are, for example, effects on people and society, waterways and fisheries, land use and landscape, soil and bedrock, groundwater and vegetation, animals and protected areas.
TEM has published the EIA programme on its website, where it can be viewed for 60 days. During that time, anyone has the opportunity to give their own comments about the programme. In addition, TEM requests statements about the programme from several authorities, communities and municipalities in the affected area.
TVO said that decisions regarding the licence extensions and power uprates will be made after the completion of the EIA report.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News