The Finnish Government has granted on 7th of March 2019 an operating licence for Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s (TVO) new nuclear power plant unit OL3 EPR in Olkiluoto. The licence is valid until the end of the year 2038.
According to the newsletter of TVO the important ground for the decision was the statement issued on 25th of February by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK), which stated that the use of Olkiluoto 3 will be safe.
STUK assessed in its statement that, in addition to the technical and structural safety of the plant, TVO’s organization and employees have the capabilities required for the safe operation of the plant and the management of the whole life cycle of nuclear power, including nuclear waste management.
The operating licence for a power plant is always a fixed-term licence.
TVO needs still a separate permission from STUK for the loading of the nuclear fuel. The last time an operating licence was granted for a new nuclear power plant in Finland was 1979.
Econia has been active in Olkiluoto from 1996 and has served hundreds of foreign companies operating at the nuclear power plant OL3. For our clients the operating licence is great news as the project has been long. The decision is significant acknowledgement of the work done.
