Olkiluoto expands interim used fuel storage

23 September 2010

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is to double capacity for the interim storage of used fuel at its Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. A contract has been awarded for the construction of three new storage pools at the site.

Olkiluoto 1 and 2 (TVO)
Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 (Image: TVO)
The contract to construct the three new storage pools has been awarded to the TYL KPA consortium, comprising construction companies Skanska Talonrakennus Oy and Hartela Oy.

The expansion will double interim storage capacity at Olkiluoto, TVO said. One of the new three storage pools is reserved for used fuel from the existing Olkiluoto units 1 and 2, while the other two pools will be used to store fuel from unit 3, which is currently under construction. A fourth reactor is also planned at the site. The new storage pools are expected to be ready to start accepting used fuel in 2013.

The expansion project - the total cost of which is some €30 million ($40 million) - has been designed by Poyry Civil Oy.

At Olkiluoto, a surface pool storage for used fuel has been in operation since 1987. This facility is designed to hold up to 1270 tonnes of used fuel for about 40 years. After interim storage, the fuel will finally be disposed of in a deep geological repository, enclosed in heavy copper capsules.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News