Fennovoima announced Monday that it has begun negotiations with Toshiba to build a 1600 megawatt ABWR at its Hanhikivi site, but the company will also consider building a smaller reactor instead.
After a year of negotiating with Areva and Toshiba over the construction of a new reactor in northern Finland, Fennovoima rejected Areva's EPR design. (It is currently under construction at TVO's Olkiluoto plant, also in Finland.) Nonetheless, if the company opts for a mid-sized reactor instead of the ABWR, designs by Areva, Toshiba and Rosatom would be on the table, Fennovoima announced in a release.
The utility plans to select a supplier this year. The abrupt change in its approach to the tender stems from changes in Fennovoima’s ownership structure, according to the company. EOn announced plans to sell its 34 percent stake in Fennovoima last fall.