Work underway on turbine modernisation at Finland nuclear power station
Fortum has begun a major turbine island modernisation project at the Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland, an upgrade that is part of a part of the station’s €1bn ($1.1bn) lifetime extension investment programme, designed to support stable and safe electricity production at Loviisa until 2050.
Fortum, which owns and operates the two-unit facility to the west of Helsinki in southern Finland, said the project will be implemented in phases during annual outages between 2026 and 2028.
Investments related to extending Loviisa’s operating lifetime are estimated to reach approximately €1bn by 2050. Last year, Fortum invested around €70m upgrades and maintenance at the Loviisa power plant.
Fortum said the upgrades will ensure the reliable operation of the turbines throughout the remainder of the station’s lifetime. Some existing components are approaching the end of their technical life cycle, making maintenance and spare-part availability increasingly challenging.
At the same time, changes in the operating environment and geopolitical developments have increased uncertainty regarding support and spare-part availability from some original equipment and system suppliers.
Both of Loviisa’s reactor units were designed and supplied by Russia.
“The modernisation will ensure that Loviisa can safely and reliably use modern technologies with long-term support well into the future,” Fortum said.
The turbine island modernisation will raise the facility’s electrical output by approximately 38 MW by 2028. As a result of the investment, the plant’s lifetime electricity generation is expected to increase by around 7 TWh. In total, Loviisa’s two units are expected to generate up to 177 TWh of electricity during their current operating licence period.
Loviisa-1 is a 420-MW (net) VVER V-213 pressurised water reactor (PWR) unit that began commercial operation in 1977. The identical Loviisa-2 began commercial operation in 1981.
The Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland. Courtesy Fortum.
