4 Oct (NucNet): Commissioning tests at the Olkiluoto-3 nuclear unit under construction in Finland have not been progressing in line with an updated schedule issued by plant supplier Areva-Siemens in June, nuclear operator Teollisuuden Voima Oyj said in a statement to the stock exchange on 3 October 2018.
TVO said Areva-Siemens will perform a schedule review and provide an overall schedule for the final phases of the project in December.
TVO said it cannot estimate whether or not the planned commercial operation date of September 2019 – four months later than the last updated schedule – will be affected. Construction of the unit began in August 2005 and is now nine years behind schedule.
In July TVO said hot functional testing had been completed at the 1,600-MW EPR unit.
In March TVO signed an agreement with Areva-Siemens over costs and losses caused by delays to the project. The settlement included compensation of €450m to be paid in two instalments.
TVO also said erlier this year that excavation works for Posiva’s final disposal facility at Olkiluoto are proceeding according to plan.
In December 2016, Posiva, which is owned by TVO, was given regulatory approval to begin construction of the deep geologic repository – the first final repository to enter the construction phase.
