Hot Functional Testing Begins At Finland’s Olkiluoto-3

20 Dec (NucNet): Hot functional testing of the reactor systems has started at the 1,600-MW Olkiluoto-3 EPR unit under construction in Finland, nuclear operator Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) said on 18 December 2017. The tests are part of commissioning and take several months. After successful completion of the hot functional tests, TVO will be able to obtain an operating licence for the unit and continue towards commissioning. At the hot functional test stage, the systems of the OL3 plant unit are tested as a whole, but without the fuel. The temperature and pressure values of the water in the primary circuit are gradually raised to the levels that will prevail during actual production operation. This is the first plant-level test where the nuclear island and the turbine island are operated together. Several different tests at different pressure levels will be carried out. According to the current schedule from plant supplier Areva-Siemens, regular electricity production from the unit will begin in May 2019, about 10 years behind schedule.