Energy company Fortum Oyj said Tuesday that it planned extensive upgrades at the Loviisa nuclear power plant in 2016, including turbine generator refurbishment. The plans extend upgrades already begun for safety and production efficiency, the Finnish company said.
Both of the Units at the plant were shut down for refueling outages in 2015 with Unit 1 out of production for 21 days and Unit 2 down for 17 days, during which a quarter of the fuel assemblies in both pressurized water reactors were replaced. Turbine reheaters were also replaced on both units, improving reliability and efficiency.
Planned upgrades are the most ambitions since the reactors began operations in 1977 and 1980, respectfully. Significant projects, said the plant's Deputy Director Thomas Buddas, include renewal of power plant automation, continuous safety improvements and the work on the turbine generators.
Among the most significant of the investments to improve plant safety were the backup cooling system that is independent of seawater and the diesel fuel storage and distribution system. Both investments improve safety in the event of extreme natural phenomena and in potential oil spills in the Gulf of Finland. With these improvements, the plant can operate without outside assistance for at least three days.
Fortum's investments in the Loviisa power plant in 2015 were at the same level as in 2014 (approximately EUR 80 million). The investment program will continue to be significant in the coming years.
The Loviisa nuclear power plant had a successful production year in 2015. A total of 8.47 terawatt hours of power was generated, corresponding to about 13 percent of total energy generation in Finland. On an international scale, the 92.9 percent load factor of the Loviisa nuclear power plant was among the best in the world for pressurized water reactor power plants. Loviisa Unit 1’s load factor was 92.7 percent and Loviisa Unit 2’s 93.1 percent. Loviisa 1’s production output was the fourth highest in the history of the plant.
The Loviisa facility is a major employer in the region, providing work for over 500 Fortum employees and 100 permanent employees of other companies who work at the plant. In addition, 750 contractor employees, the large majority of them Finns (90 percent), participated in the annual outages and other plant projects in 2015.