31 Oct (NucNet): The net capacity of both nuclear power units at the Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland is now 507 MW (net) after modification and improvement work carried out during recent outages, owner and operator Fortum told NucNet in an email.
Both units have seen their net capacity increase from the original design net capacity as the result of modifications and improvement work since they began commercial operation. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s reactor database, the units’ original design net capacity was 420 MW.
Fortum said the most recent outages included “the most challenging” work in the Loviisa station’s history, both in terms of workload and how demanding the work was.
Unit 1 returned to commercial operation on 18 October after an annual outage that lasted just over 26 days. Earlier, Unit 2 returned to service on 21 September after an outage that lasted nearly 47 days.
Loviisa-2 underwent an extensive outage that involved the standard periodic inspections performed every eight years in addition to the plant modification and improvement work.
Loviisa-1 underwent a shorter refuelling outage, but modification and improvement work waswere also carried out, Fortum told NucNet.
Several safety improvements were implemented for both units, including improvements to critical safety functions, maintenance work on the main generators and the replacement of generator stators.
Fortum and Rolls-Royce signed an agreement in May 2014 for the modernisation of the most critical safety automation systems on both units at Loviisa. The work done by Rolls-Royce included the design, licensing, installation and commissioning of the new safety systems.
Both Loviisa units are pressurised water reactors supplied by Russia. Unit 1 began commercial operation in May 1977 and Unit 2 in January 1981.
In 2017, the load factor at Loviisa was 92.9%, among the best in the world for PWR plants. The plant produced a total of 8.16 TWh of electricity, which is more than 10% of Finland’s total electricity production.
In 2017, Fortum invested about €90m in the Loviisa nuclear station.
