A good production year 2019 at Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant - production record at unit 1
FORTUM CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 3 January 2020
Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant had a good production year in 2019. The power plant generated a total of 8.2 terawatt hours (net) of carbon-free power equalling more than 10% of Finland’s total electricity production. Loviisa unit 1 achieved units' production record with 4.1 terawatt hours. As a result of the Loviisa nuclear power plant’s electricity production, Finland emits about 6 million tonnes less carbon dioxide emissions compared to the equivalent amount of fossil fuel-based electricity.
On an international scale, the 92.4% load factor of the Loviisa nuclear power plant was among the best in the world for pressurised water reactor power plants. Loviisa unit 1’s load factor was 93.0% and Loviisa unit 2’s 91.8%. Both units underwent a refuelling outage in 2019. The annual outage of unit 1 lasted about 20 days and unit 2 25 days.
“Throughout its history, the Loviisa power plant has been upgraded over the long-term in line with the principle of continuous improvement. In 2019, the safety and availability of the power plant was improved by, for example, completing the modernisation of the Polar cranes used for heavy lifting in the containment and modifying the primary water purification system’s filtering,” says Timo Eurasto, Manager, Operations Unit, Loviisa Power Plant.
“A significant milestone for the responsible management of nuclear waste was reached in December when, as a result of years of persistent work, the final disposal of liquid radioactive waste solidified in concrete got under way in Loviisa power plants' on-site final disposal repository,” Eurasto says.
“At the beginning of 2019, we launched three main themes: Excellent work practice (Varma), Field observations and actions (Taito), and Fire risk minimisation (Turva). We will continue the development of operations under these themes also in the upcoming year,” Eurasto continues.
The Loviisa nuclear power plant is a major employer in the region, providing work for approximately 500 Fortum employees and nearly 100 permanent employees of other companies working in the plant area every day. Additionally, about 800 external employees participated in the annual outages and investment projects. The power plant also employed more than 70 summer trainees in 2019. Fortum’s investments in the Loviisa power plant were approximately EUR 60 million (2018: approximately EUR 100 million).
Fortum Corporation
Group Communications
Further information:
Timo Eurasto, Manager, Operations Unit, Loviisa Power Plant, tel. +358 10 455 4010
www.fortum.com/loviisa
Loviisa Power Plant
In 2019, the load factor at Fortum’s fully-owned Loviisa nuclear power plant was 92.4%. On an international scale, the load factor was among the best in the world for pressurised water reactor power plants. The plant produced a total of 8.2 terawatt hours (net), which is more than 10% of Finland’s total electricity production. The Loviisa power plant employs more than 500 Fortum employees and nearly 100 permanent employees of other companies working in the plant area every day. In 2019, Fortum invested about EUR 60 million in the Loviisa nuclear power plant. Further information: www.fortum.com/loviisa
Fortum
Fortum is a leading clean-energy company that provides its customers with electricity, heating and cooling as well as smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. We want to engage our customers and society to join the change for a cleaner world. We employ some 8,000 professionals in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and India. In 2018, our sales were EUR 5.2 billion and 57% of our electricity generation was CO2 free. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.fortum.com
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