Annual outage 2015 to begin at Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant
FORTUM CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 7 August 2015
The annual refuelling and maintenance outage of Fortum’s nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 in Loviisa, Finland, begins on Sunday, 9 August, followed by the servicing of Unit 2. This year both Units will undergo a so-called short refuelling outage. The entire outage procedure is estimated to be completed in less than six weeks.
In addition to the normal periodic maintenance tasks and refuelling, the most significant work on both units this year is the replacement of turbine reheaters. At Loviisa 2 an activity measurement of turbine steam lines will be carried out and one of the motors of an emergency diesel generator will be replaced with an overhauled motor. During the outage, one quarter of the fuel will be replaced.
“During this summer’s annual outage we begin the modernisation of the power plant’s turbine reheaters. Four out of the eight reheaters will be installed during this year’s outage. The next four will be replaced during the annual outage in 2017,” says Pertti Salonen, Manager of Loviisa power plant’s Maintenance Unit. The reheaters remove humidity and heat the steam coming from the high pressure turbine so that it can be supplied to the low-pressure turbine. Replacing the reheaters improves the reliability of the secondary circuit as well as the efficiency of the power plant.
A total of 750 external contractors are involved in the Loviisa power plant’s annual outage and ongoing modernisation projects. About 90 per cent of the workers are of Finnish origin. The international workforce comes from Russia, Germany and Poland. There are approximately 500 Fortum employees and some 100 permanent contractors working at the Loviisa power plant.
Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications
Further information:
Pertti Salonen, Manager, Maintenance Unit, tel. +358 10 455 3100
Timo Eurasto, Manager, Operations Unit, tel. +358 10 455 4010
Background information for journalists:
In 2014, the load factor at Fortum’s fully-owned Loviisa nuclear power plant was 90.9%. On an international scale, this was excellent: the worldwide load factor for pressurised water power plants last year was approximately 84%. The plant produced a total of 7.88 terawatt hours, which is approximately 12% of Finland’s total electricity production. The Loviisa power plant employs approximately 600 employees directly. In 2014, Fortum invested EUR 80 million into the Loviisa nuclear power plant.
Fortum
Fortum’s purpose is to create energy that improves life for present and future generations. Fortum’s expertise is in CO2-free and efficient electricity and heat production. The company also offers energy-related products and expert services to private and industrial customers and energy producers. Fortum’s main areas of operation are the Nordic and the Baltic countries, Russia and Poland. In 2014, the annual sales (excluding the divested electricity distribution business) totalled EUR 4.1 billion, and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.1 billion. The company employs approximately 8,000 people. Fortum’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.fortum.com