Annual outage maintenance of Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant begins on August 2

Fortum, the Finnish state-owned energy company, announced that the annual outage maintenance of the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant will commence on August 2, starting with Unit 2 and then transitioning to Unit 1. The maintenance is scheduled to continue until October 18. During this period, the two units will be taken offline for maintenance in rotation, with the other unit remaining in operation.

As planned, Unit 2 will undergo a major annual overhaul conducted every eight years. During the maintenance, staff will unload the reactor fuel, inspect and pressure test the reactor pressure vessel, replace approximately one-quarter of the fuel, and complete a series of equipment maintenance and servicing tasks. Unit 1 will undergo a shorter routine annual maintenance, primarily involving fuel replacement and related maintenance work.

Sasu Valkamo, Senior Vice President and Plant Manager of the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant, stated that the Loviisa plant plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliability of Finland's electricity supply, and the annual routine maintenance aims to ensure stable power production during the next operating cycle. In addition to the plant's regular employees, approximately 1,000 contractor personnel will also participate in this year's annual maintenance.

During this outage maintenance, the plant will also initiate several life extension and modernization projects. Fortum stated that key tasks include the modernization of low-pressure turbines, updates to the turbine automation system, and replacement of the main seawater pumps. More than ten major projects are planned for implementation during the annual maintenance period.

Both units of the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant have obtained new operating licenses valid until the end of 2050. To ensure the long-term safe and reliable operation of the plant, Fortum expects that large-scale upgrades will still be needed in the coming years, with total related investments potentially reaching approximately 10 billion euros by 2050.

Regarding fuel supply, Fortum signed an agreement with the U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Company in November 2022 for the latter to design and supply new fuel for the Loviisa plant. During the annual maintenance of the past two years, Westinghouse fuel has been loaded into Unit 2, and this practice will continue this year. Valkamo stated that after this year's annual maintenance, the majority of the fuel used at the plant will come from Western suppliers.

The Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant is Finland's first nuclear power plant, with both units using VVER-type pressurized water reactors. Fortum is also collaborating with three other European energy companies and France's Framatome to develop another Western fuel solution for VVER-type nuclear units.