On Saturday in Finland, the third reactor of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant, which is called Olkiluoto 3, or OL3, went online. It is the largest reactor in Europe and has several other notable features: it is the first built in Europe in the last 15 years and it is the first European Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor (EPR) to operate in Europe. Simplifying a lot, EPRs are a new generation of reactors developed in Europe, to guarantee high efficiency and high safety. The new reactor is expected to produce 14 percent of Finland’s electricity needs, and is expected to operate for 60 years.
The opening of the OL3 reactor came in conjunction with Germany’s final exit from nuclear power generation, with the country’s last three nuclear plants also shutting down on Saturday. The construction of OL3 has however suffered heavy delays: started in 2005, it should have been finished in 2009. Instead it took 18 years.
– Read also: The end of nuclear power in Germany