Jarmo Sallila, chairman of association for Eurajoki entrepreneurs, gives Pyhäjoki entrepreneurs information about how they should prepare. Mr Sallila emphasizes the importance of cooperation as it is more difficult for companies that have just a couple of employees to participate in projects. Mr Sallila states in Raahen Seutu that in Eurajoki, companies have created networks that function well.

He advises companies to make sure their quality standard systems are sufficient – they are a must for those wishing to participate in nuclear power plant construction.

Mr Sallila thinks there are many similarities between Pyhäjoki and Eurajoki areas. Like Pyhäjoki, Eurajoki has bigger neighbor municipalities that have benefitted from the power plant, too.

In Eurajoki, work opportunities have been generated for companies representing construction, trade, accommodation, earthmoving, water and sewage works, lifting equipment, security and guarding, food services, hardware and transports. In addition, local entrepreneurs have participated in the construction of worker accommodation.

Raahen Seutu reports that thousands of people have been working in the nuclear power plant construction project in Olkiluoto. About 1000 of these workers have lived in Eurajoki. Jarmo Sallila says that the workers were causing some problems in the past nuclear power construction sites but now there have not been any considerable problems.

Olkiluoto 3 project has a significant impact on the municipality’s economy. The surplus in the municipality balance sheet has been more than 30 million euros during the last years in total. According to Mr Sallila, the municipality has been able to renovate schools and elderly houses, next improvement target is the library.

>> Read about the site of Fennovoima's nuclear power plant.

Currently, there are over 400 nuclear power plants in the world, most units being located in the US, Russia and France. According to Amano, it is expected that mostly the new reactors will be built in countries that already use nuclear power. The growth of the numbers is substantial, however slower than anticipated earlier.

Factors behind the growing interested towards nuclear power are e.g. the increase of energy demand globally as well as fears of climate change. The reasons have not changed due to the accident in Fukushima, says Amano.

Read Reuters' original report.

>> Read more about Fennovoima's project.

“Our assessments are completed and we are now waiting for the decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court regarding appeals that have been submitted concerning land use planning. Soon after the court verdict Fennovoima is to make its decision. We are confident about the court decisions but need to wait for them so that we have all information needed for the site selection.”

“This is a big decision for Finland, and it is not an easy choice. Fennovoima wants to be a good neighbor and we have been building this relationship with the both sites during the last years. In both sites, majority of the people supports the project.“

Another big milestone is the selection of the plant supplier. Fennovoima has two alternatives: Areva and Toshiba. The bid invitation was sent to these companies in July. According to Mr Saarenpää, these two alternatives were selected in order to enable technical development work and because Areva and Toshiba are big and reliable companies. Mr Saarenpää says Fennovoima will carry out infrastructure works independently.

“It is important that the plant alternatives fulfill the safety requirements of the Finnish authorities and those of Fennovoima.”

Fennovoima has not yet made an agreement on final disposal of spent nuclear fuel with the Finnish nuclear waste management company Posiva, but Saarenpää is confident that an agreement will be reached.

“In Finland, a national solution has always been the starting point in nuclear waste management. All nuclear waste produced in Finland is to be located in one place – this one site principle is applied in other countries, too. The Finnish Government prioritizes national solution. There is a strong political support for single solution. It will take decades before the nuclear waste produced by the future plant of Fennovoima is to be finally disposed. “

According to Mr Saarenpää Fennovoima project is based on careful preparation and planning work. Construction starts after the currently ongoing preparations have been finalized. The ground works in the chosen site are expected to be started in 2012 and the actual construction work around 2015. Mr Saarenpää points out that the plant design alternatives are not similar and a more accurate schedule can be made after the plant design has been chosen and agreement signed.

“This is a big, international project and Finns will hopefully join the construction. Fennovoima wants Finnish companies to have equal possibilities to participate and to be competitive. This has been our target as we have been informing and guiding Finnish companies in the north”, Mr Saarenpää says.

“Infrastructure works suit Finns very well, but there is also experience in Finland of big scale industrial construction that is needed in the implementation of the nuclear power plant project. There is expertise in Finland that is of use for Fennovoima project.”

>> Read more about the project.

The Finnish Energy Industries points out that in the long term it is recommendable to decrease import and strengthen Finland's self-sufficiency in electricity production. This is one of the targets set by the new Finnish government in its programme.

Finland used 44.6 terawatt hours of electricity during January-June. The share of industries of the total consumption is about 50 per cent. Almost 36 per cent of the total consumption was covered with combined heat and power (CHP) production, some 24 per cent with nuclear power, 16 per cent with condensed power, about 13 per cent with Finnish hydro power and 0.5 per cent with wind power. 
 

More information about the Finnish Energy Industries available here.
 

In the first phase, the target is to train experts especially for construction and operation of Fennovoima’s nuclear power plant that is to be located in Northern Finland.

The students participating in the training are required to have a university degree or equivalent knowledge in energy, process or construction technology and a working experience of more than three years in some of these fields of expertise.

A second part of the training is to be organized for further studies and in the future, nuclear power technology studies can be included as part of Oulu University Master’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Technology.

The trainers come from Oulu University, Lappeenranta University of Technology and various Finnish nuclear power industry organizations.
 

Finland’s main transmission grid is to be strengthened for connecting two new two nuclear power plants to the grid.TVO is planning a fourth nuclear reactor in Olkiluoto and Fennovoima is going to construct a nuclear power plant to Pyhäjoki or Simo.

In Fingrid’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) there will first be an assessment of transmission line routes from Olkiluoto to Rauma and then from there onwards. The assessments related to Fennovoima are to be decided after the site of the new power plant has been confirmed. Citizens can follow the EIA process on Fingrid’s website.
 

The research was carried out because Fennovoima is constructing a nuclear power plant in North Finland, either in Pyhäjoki or in Simo.

About one-third of the companies are interested in participating big projects and have the ability to do so whereas 46 per cent informed that they are interested but need additional information and guidance in order to be able to participate.

The first construction works are earthworks and HVAC works. According to the research, companies representing these branches need more information and guidance. Pekka Peltomäki, project manager of Raahe Regional Business Services, says in Kauppalehti that on the basis of the results of the research training can be organized to meet the needs of the companies.

Raahe Regional Business Services is managing a project that aims at improving the preparedness of companies to participate in big international project, like Fennovoima project.

>> Read about Fennovoima's project and schedule.

The purpose of the tests is to ensure that an accident of the kind that happened in Fukushima is not possible in the EU.

EU’s energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger states in a press release published by Hungary that the detailed scope of the tests is to be defined next week.
 

The Minister of Economic Affairs Mr Mauri Pekkarinen states in an interview of YLE that the external electricity feed and flood protection in risk situations are to be assessed. According to Mr Pekkarinen, the assessment is needed after the nuclear power accident in Japan.

Mr Pekkarinen says the assessment must be made despite the fact that there are no faults in the safety systems of Finnish nuclear power plants. According to the Minister, for example the preparedness for major floods must be assessed as well as the effectiveness of external electricity feed.

Last time Mr Pekkarinen had the safety systems checked by STUK a couple of years ago when the water level rising in the Gulf of Finland generated concerns. According to Mr Pekkarinen, the assessments carried out then proved that the risk limits are still far.

The Japanese electronics company said it has agreed with Fennovoima to provide essential engineering data on its advanced boiling water reactor until the Finnish company makes its final decision on a supplier of the nuclear power plant in 2012.

Toshiba will compete with Areva SA of France to win an order for its reactor, which has been in use at nuclear plants in Japan, Toshiba said.

Fennovoima is now conducting technical evaluations in preparation for construction of the new plant, with the goal of starting operation in 2020.

> > Read about Fennovoima's reactor design alternatives.