18 Sep (NucNet): Finland’s government today approved in principle an application by Fennovoima Oyj for a construction licence to build the Hanhikivi-1 nuclear station in Pyhäjoki.
The government also said today it had postponed discussions on a decision to set a new deadline for the application for a construction licence for Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s (TVO) Olkiluoto-4 EPR nuclear unit.
A statement said finance minister Antti Rinne asked to see related documents in order to examine them in more depth.
Earlier this week the Ministry of Employment and the Economy said plans by TVO to extend the application period for the Olkiluoto-4 licence should be rejected because of “uncertainties” with the existing Olkiluoto-3 EPR project.
In May 2014 TVO requested the five-year extension for the application period because Olkiluoto-3 had not entered service on schedule. TVO proposed that the new deadline for submitting application should be the end of March 2019.
The Hanhikivi-1 approval, which must still go before parliament, carries the condition that at least 60 percent of the shares in the project must be under Finnish ownership.
Fennovoima submitted a request to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in March 2014 to re-examine the government’s original decision-in-principle of May 2010 for construction of the station.
The 2010 decision approved construction, but since then a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom acquired shares in the project and the proposed reactor type was changed to a Russian 1,200 megawatt AES-2006 pressurised water reactor. This plant type was not among the options examined in the original application.
Fennovoima has two owners: Finnish company Voimaosakeyhtiö SF and RAOS Voima Oy, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom. Voimaosakeyhtiö SF owns 66 percent of Fennovoima and RAOS Voima Oy 34 percent. Voimaosakeyhtiö is in turn owned by Finnish regional and local energy companies as well as companies in industry and trade.
The government said today that the project remains in the overall best interests of society. Ten ministers were in favour of the measure and seven ministers were opposed.
