11 Apr (NucNet): The Finnish Radiation & Nuclear Safety Authority (Stuk) has approved the design of the instrumentation and control system for Olkiluoto-3, but wants additional analysis about what could happen if the system fails, Teollisuuden Voima Oy and Stuk said in separate statements.
Areva-Siemens is building the 1,600-megawatt EPR for TVO. The project is about seven years behind schedule, with commercial operation estimated for 2016. However, TVO said it would not provide an estimate of the start-up time for OL3 “at the moment”. It said Areva-Siemens is responsible for the schedule.
One of the reasons for the delay has been verifying the documentation for the EPR’s all-digital I&C system architecture.
Olkiluoto project manager Jouni Silvennoinen said in the TVO statement that, despite STUK's decision, “We are not satisfied with the supplier's overall performance.”
Mr Silvennoinen said the I&C design approval is an important step in the I&C licensing process, but added that TVO still does not have an updated project completion schedule from Areva.
He said: “We have requested that the plant supplier presents an explicit plan for the remaining work, and have called for an updated overall schedule for the completion of the plant unit, but the plant supplier has not yet provided these.”
Mr Silvennoinen said main installation work at the Olkiluoto site are “not progressing” as the supplier has not completed the engineering. TVO provides its full support, but the supplier needs to increase its efficiency and complete the remaining works without delay, the statement said.
Areva said in a statement today that design approval for the I&C system is an “important step” and is part of “significant progress” made in 2014 for Olkiluoto-3. The reactor containment tightness tests were successfully completed in February. On 1 April, Areva’s teams at its technical centre in Erlangen, Germany received the green light from TVO to begin testing the I&C system.
TVO, Areva and Siemens are in arbitration proceedings at the International Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm to try to resolve their financial disputes over the reactor.
