Finland's Olkiluoto 3 reactor was disconnected from the electricity grid on Monday due to a turbine issue, operator TVO said, the latest in a string of setbacks for the long-delayed plant.

"The plant was disconnected from the grid unplanned around noon as a result of a fault on the turbine side," TVO spokeswoman Johanna Aho told AFP.

The issue concerns the part of the plant where steam is used to produce electricity, not the reactor side.

"The plant is completely safe," Aho said. "But it is not currently generating electricity into the national grid".

The issue arose a day after the plant resumed test production following the completion of automation updates.

The reactor built by the French-led Areva-Siemens consortium on Finland's southwest coast went online in March, 12 years behind schedule.

The start date for OL3's normal production is being closely followed in Finland, where many hope the plant will ease the coming winter's energy challenges.

TVO said it did not yet know the exact cause of the problem but said staff was investigating.

"When we find out, we will know if this is a temporary problem or if something else needs to be fixed," Aho said.

She was unable to say whether the issue would affect the planned launch date.

Olkiluoto 3 is currently due to enter normal operation in December 2022, after the test phase is concluded.

Energy production had been expected to start this summer, with the aim of supplying about 15 percent of Finland's electricity consumption.

But the start date has been pushed back multiple times this year alone.

In April, it was moved to September due to repairs needed on the cooling system.

And in June it was postponed to December, after "foreign material" was observed in the turbine's steam reheater.

The French-developed European Pressurised Reactor model was designed to relaunch nuclear power in Europe after the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, and was touted as offering higher power and better safety.

Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Energy crisis pushes nuclear comeback worldwide
Paris (AFP) Aug 27, 2022
As the costs of importing energy soars worldwide and climate crises wreak havoc, interest in nuclear power is on the rise with nations scrambling to find alternative sources. Investment in nuclear power declined after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986, as fears over its safety increased and governments ran scared. But following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February, the subsequent squeeze on energy supplies and Europe's push to wean it ... read more