The Finnish Broadcasting Company reports that Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen says the concern Britain has expressed related to EPR reactors has no impact on the building of the new Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The Times has reported this week that the nuclear safety authorities in Britain are concerned about the safety of EPR reactors which are used in Olkiluoto 3, too. Olkiluoto 3 is currently under construction.

According to the British authorities, the operation systems of reactor type in question have been designed so that the safe operation cannot be guaranteed. Mr Pekkarinen says the protection automation systems in Olkiluoto 3 are not similar to those the British authorities are worried about and that Olkiluoto 3 systems are in accordance with the strict Finnish requirements.

Lasse Reiman, director at the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), states that the concern expressed by Britain has been known at STUK for some time and the authority has already reacted to the issue. According to Mr Reiman, the backup protection automation systems have considerable differences: for example, the system that is being built in Olkiluoto does not exist at Flamanville, France. STUK has worked in cooperation with the British authorities.

Olkiluoto 3 is expected to be ready in 2012. Mr Pekkarinen says the delays of the project are mainly due to technical issues related to construction of the plant, not safety related problems.