Fennovoima submits Construction License Application

The application is pursuant to the Nuclear Energy Act and contains a description of the plant site, plant type, the main safety features, nuclear waste management, financing of the project and Fennovoima’s organization. The nearly 250-page document includes 13 appendices in addition to the application itself.

Fennovoima’s current ownership status is also stated in one of the appendices. The Croatian company Migrit solarna energija (Migrit) has made an agreement with Voimaosakeyhti? SF to participate in Fennovoima’s project. The Government condition for at least 60 per cent EU and EFTA ownership is thereby fulfilled. Since last autumn Voimaosakeyhti? SF has received several new owners, of which Migrit is the most significant. Migrit is a Croatian company, which specializes in production, transmission and distribution of electricity.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy has requested Fennovoima to provide additional information concerning Migrit solarna energija. Migrit owns almost 9 per cent of Fennovoima via Voimaosakeyhti? SF. ‘We understand why Minister Rehn has requested a clarification on the new owner and will provide the information. We received a significant new owner within a short period of time, and we fully understand that the Ministry wants to have thorough assessment of the new owner’, Toni Hemminki, CEO of Fennovoima, states.

‘We are convinced that we can provide the necessary clarification. We submitted the Construction License Application in its entirety earlier today. The work at Fennovoima and Hanhikivi headland proceeds’, Hemminki says.

In addition to the Construction License Application, Fennovoima will deliver extensive documentation to the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) for the safety assessment. Fennovoima will submit the documentation to STUK gradually in phases up until the summer of 2017. The design process of the nuclear power plant proceeds based on the feedback received from STUK. A positive safety assessment from STUK is a prerequisite for obtaining the Construction License.

Upon submission of the application, Fennovoima announced new suppliers for the project. The turbine of the power plant will be based on Alstom’s Arabelle technology. Safety automation will be supplied by Rolls-Royce or Schneider Electric.

Project proceeds on schedule

The size and expertise of Fennovoima’s organization has developed at a rapid pace. At present, Fennovoima employs more than 200 professionals. The project organization will be at its largest during the final phase of construction (2023–2024), by which time the number of Fennovoima’s own staff is estimated to reach close to 550 people.

The ongoing construction work at the plant site is being carried out in order to prepare for the start of the nuclear power plant construction phase. The main building contractor Titan-2 will begin its own preparatory work at the plant site in July, 2015. Fennovoima aims to complete the infrastructure work by the end of 2017. The construction of the power plant can begin after the Construction License is obtained. Fennovoima’s plan is to start the construction of the nuclear power plant in 2018. The nuclear power plant will produce electricity for its owners in 2024.

Fennovoima has also published a section of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) concerning the Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant. As the license holder, Fennovoima must demonstrate to the authorities how safety is taken into account in all stages of the plant lifecycle.