27 Mar (NucNet): Finland’s Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) has started the bidding process for the construction of the proposed Olkiluoto-4 nuclear plant, with bids for the unit expected at the beginning of 2013.
The company said in a statement that together with potential plant suppliers it had started work to clarify that the plant types meet Finnish safety requirements and can be built at Olkiluoto.
The potential suppliers for the bidding phase are Areva with its European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR), GE Hitachi with an ESBWR (economic simplified boiling water reactor) unit, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power with its APR1400, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with an APWR (advanced pressurised water reactor) unit and Toshiba with an ABWR (advanced boiling water reactor) unit.
TVO said infrastructure is onsite at Olkiluoto to support the project and it is expanding the Olkiluoto-4 organisation. At present there are more than 50 people working on the project.
Finland has four nuclear units in commercial operation and one, Olkiluoto-3, under construction. OL-3, a 1,600-megawatt EPR unit, is scheduled to start commercial operation in 2013.
In July 2010 Finland’s parliament approved decisions-in-principle for the construction of two planned units. One unit is TVO’s Olkiluoto-4 and the other is Fennovoima Oy’s Hanhikivi-1 in the municipality of Pyhäjoki.
Fennovoima said last month it would choose a supplier either this year or in 2013. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and the plant could enter commercial operation in 2020 at the earliest.
