Finland: Olkiluoto 2 reactor shut down due to technical fault
One unit of TVO’s nuclear power plant on Finland’s west coast will likely be out of service until the weekend.
The number-two reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in Eurajoki was shut down late Thursday due to a failure in an electrical generator.
The plant’s owner, Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), says the 880-megawatt Olkiluoto 2 will probably remain offline until at least Saturday.
The generator began to collect condensation for reasons that remain unclear, so the unit was detached from the national grid. TVO says there is no risk to nuclear safety, and that the Olkiluoto 1 reactor is functioning normally.
3 of nation’s 4 reactors running
Meanwhile work continues on the drastically-delayed Olkiluoto 3 reactor. Last autumn, the government rejected TVO’s request for more time to begin construction of a planned Olkiluoto 4 unit, so its permit for that unit will likely lapse.
In 2013 Olkiluoto and the double-reactor Loviisa power plant produced just over a quarter of the electricity used in Finland. A third plant is to be built near Raahe by Fennovoima.
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