Finland is putting its first new nuclear reactor on the grid in 40 years
The Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant in western Finland
Quelle: pa/dpa/Lehtkuva
While Germany has finally said goodbye to nuclear energy, a new nuclear reactor went online in Finland – 14 years late. Together with four other nuclear power plants, Olkiluoto 3 can cover more than 40 percent of the country’s electricity needs.
WA few hours after Germany’s phase-out of nuclear energy, Finland put a new nuclear power plant with an output of 1,600 megawatts into normal operation. Olkiluoto 3 on the Baltic coast started regular power generation on Sunday, operator TVO tweeted. According to expert estimates, the EPR pressurized water reactor from the manufacturers Siemens and Areva cost eleven billion euros – almost three times as much as originally planned – and will start 14 years later than planned.
Olkiluoto 3 is the most powerful nuclear reactor in Europe and the first new one in Finland in more than 40 years. With its help, the country with around 5.5 million inhabitants wants to achieve its climate goals and at the same time a secure energy supply. Construction began in 2005 and was scheduled to be completed in four years. However, there were various technical problems and court cases. The reactor was connected to the grid in March 2022 and went through a test phase lasting more than a year.
With Olkiluoto 3, Finland now has five nuclear reactors, which together cover more than 40 percent of its electricity needs. The conservative National Coalition Party, which won the Finnish parliamentary elections two weeks ago, wants to increase this proportion.
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