Safe and good production year at Fortum's Loviisa nuclear power plant
Espoo, Finland, 2012-01-02 13:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE 2.1.2012
The year 2011 was a safe and good production year at Fortum's Loviisa power
plant. There were no incidents reaching the International Nuclear Event Scale
(INES) of significant events concerning nuclear or radiation incidents.
The capacity factor describing Loviisa power plant's availability was 94.3 per
cent, which is very high in international comparison, and the plant was in full
production throughout the operation cycle except for a short production break
at Unit 1. Loviisa power plant produced 8.06 terawatt hours of electricity,
which is about 10 per cent of electricity production in Finland.
Safety assessments proved Loviisa power plant safe
After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan the safety
assessments made at national and European Union levels proved Loviisa power
plant's safety level good and safety margins sufficient in cases of external
events. The assessments pointed out some areas for further development, for
example the planning of air cooling towers independent of sea water and
development of flooding protection.
The last part of the year witnessed the completion of a 10 megawatt diesel
reserve power plant. This improves electricity supply in situations where the
external electric grid is unavailable.
The production almost uninterrupted
The production of the power plant was uninterrupted except for one minor
production related disturbance at the end of February. This in order to repair
a seal leak in one of the flanged pipes of a steam generator at Unit 1. The
production break lasted 2.5 days.
Successful annual outages
Both units of Loviisa power plant underwent normal refueling outages in 2011.
Both outages were successful. Unit 1 was in outage for 17 days and Unit 2 for
19 days. In addition to the plant's own personnel of 500, a total of 640
maintenance and inspection field specialists from 76 companies contributed to
outage performance.
Power plant waste repository expanded
The low and intermediate level waste repository in connection with the power
plant has been expanded in the volume of about 15,000 cubic metres. The
expansion increased the temporary storage capability of maintenance waste,
which improves the waste sorting possibilities reducing the amount of disposed
waste. The utilisation of the repository will begin in spring 2012.
As the renewal of the power plant automation progresses, the training and
practising possibilities of operating staff have been improved by constructing
a new training simulator building. The building was completed in February 2011
and the installation of the simulator systems began in September. It is
estimated to be ready for use in early 2012.
23 new employees to the plant
As the change of generation continues 23 new recruits started at the plant and
10 employees retired in 2011. The many received applications to open positions
show that employment at the plant is sought and appreciated. In addition to the
500 Fortum employees, over 100 people employed by other companies work at the
plant. Loviisa power plant is a significant employer in the Loviisa region.
Fortum, Power Division
Communications
For further information:
Thomas Buddas, process and development director, tel. +358 50 4553710
Peter Tuominen, Manager, Public Affairs, tel. +358 50 4524760
Fortum
Fortum's purpose is to create energy that improves life for present and future
generations. We provide sustainable solutions that fulfil the needs for low
emissions, resource efficiency and energy security, and deliver excellent value
to our shareholders. Our activities cover the generation, distribution and
sales of electricity and heat as well as related expert services.
Fortum's operations focus on the Nordic countries, Russia, Poland and Baltic
Rim area. In the future, the integrating European and fast-growing Asian energy
markets provide additional growth opportunities. In 2010, Fortum’s sales
totalled EUR 6.3 billion and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.8 billion.
We employ approximately 10,500 people. Fortum’s shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX
Helsinki.
www.fortum.com
