Finland's Hanhikivi 1 excavation work starts

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Excavation work has started at the construction site of the planned Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, Finland. A ceremony was held to mark the start of work to dig the foundation pit on 19 January.

Memorial stone laid at Hanhikivi 1 construction site (Image: Rosatom)

The Hanhikivi project is owned by Finland's Fennovoima, in which a 34% stake is held by RAOS Voima Oy, the Finnish subsidiary set up in 2014 by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom for the purpose of buying a share in the company. Russia's Titan-2 is the main contractor for the Hanhikivi project.

Russian officials at the ceremony included Kirill Komarov, first deputy director general for corporate development and international business at Rosatom; Nikita Konstantinov, CEO of JSC Rusatom Energy International; Anastasia Zoteeva, deputy director general for business development at JSC Rusatom Energy International; Vadim Ryabov, chairman of RAOS Project Oy; and Grigory Naginsky, chairman Titan-2. Finnish representatives were Minna Forsström, project director at Fennovoima and Matti Soronen, mayor of Pyhäjoki.

In a statement yesterday, Rosatom said the ceremony had included detonation of the rocky ground and placement of a memorial stone. Following the ceremony, the company officials visited the new Pyhäjoki office of RAOS Project Oy.

Speaking to Finnish media, Komarov said Hanhikivi 1 would have a positive impact on the economy of the Pyhäjoki region in terms of tax revenues during both construction and operation of the plant. According to Rosatom's estimates, every job at a nuclear plant generates seven to eight jobs in related areas, he noted.

Forsström highlighted the fact the project is "progressing on schedule".

Fennovoima Oy submitted an application for a construction licence for Hanhikivi 1 - a Gidropress-designed AES-2006 plant, which uses a 1200 MWe-class reactor - in June last year. The unit is expected to enter commercial operation in 2024.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News