8 Jan (NucNet): Fortum’s two-unit Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland generated 7.79 TWh (net) of electricity in 2018, more than 11% of the country’s total electricity production, the company said.
The figure was a decrease from the 8.16 TWh (net) in 2017, although the 11% production share was a slight increase from 10% in 2017.
The facility’s 88.4% load factor was among the best in the world for pressurised water reactor power plants, although the final figures reflected “demanding outages” with Unit 1 at 90.9% and Unit 2 at 85.9%.
In 2017 Loviisa-1’s load factor was 92.7% and Loviisa-2’s was 92.6%, making production output at Loviisa-1 the highest in the station’s history and at Loviisa-2 the second highest.
In 2018 Loviisa-1 underwent a short refuelling outage and Loviisa-2 underwent an extensive annual outage. The Unit 1 outage lasted 26 days and the Unit 2 outage nearly 47 days.
Fortum said that as a result of the station’s electricity production, Finland emitted about 6 million tonnes less carbon dioxide emissions compared to the equivalent amount of fossil fuel-based electricity.
Fortum’s investments in the station in 2018 were about €100m, an increase from €90m in 2017.
Both Fortum units are PWRs supplied by Russia. Unit 1 began commercial operation in May 1977 and Unit 2 in January 1981.
In October 2018 modification and improvement work was completed that resulted in he net capacity of both units at Loviisa increasing to 507 MW (net).
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s reactor database, the units’ original design net capacity was 420 MW.
Last week Teollisuuden Voima Oyj said total production at its two-unit Olkiluoto nuclear power station in Finland was 14.1 TWh in 2018, meeting about one-sixth of the country’s total electricity consumption.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Finland’s four commercial reactor provided about 33% of electricity production in 2017.
