The construction of a new backup air-cooling system independent of seawater cooling has been completed at the Loviisa plant in Finland.

Posiva, the Finnish waste management company, said today it has started construction of a heavy plug for the demonstration repository tunnel at its final repository and waste encapsulation plant at Olkiluoto. The underground characterisation facility is known as Onkalo.

Finnish nuclear operators had set aside a total of €2.38 billion ($2.67 billion) by the end of 2014 - up from €2.27 billion ($2.55 billion) by the end of 2013 and €2.16 billion ($2.42 billion) by the end of 2012 - for waste disposal and decommissioning activities, the country's Ministry for Employment and the Economy has reported.

Finland's radiation and nuclear safety authority has given its backing to Posiva's application to construct a final repository and waste encapsulation plant.

Rusatom Overseas has signed contracts with several suppliers that bid for work on the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant project in Finland. A subsidiary of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Rusatom Overseas is responsible for promoting Russian nuclear technology on the global market.

Russia's Cabinet of Ministers has approved up to RUB150 billion ($2.3 billion) in funding from the country's sovereign wealth fund for the Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant project in Finland.

Teollisuuden Voima, the Finnish nuclear power company, plans to restructure its operations amid low wholesale electricity market prices.

The Finnish parliament today voted in favour of Fennovoima's supplement to the decision in principle regarding the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, Finland. The vote was carried by 115 to 74.

Fortum would be ready to participate with a minority - maximum 15% - stake in the Fennovoima nuclear power plant project, provided that Fortum obtains a 75% or more ownership in the hydro assets of Russian territorial generating company TGC-1, the Finnish power producer said in a stock exchange release today.

The Commerce Committee of the Parliament of Finland has given its approval to Fennovoima's plans to build a Rosatom reactor at Hanhikvi. The Finnish government is to take a final vote on an amended decision-in-principle in a plenary session on 5 December.

Finland's Voimaosakeyhtiö SF has increased its share in the planned Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant to 55.5% from 50.2%. The plant, to be built in Pyhäjoki in northern Finland, is scheduled to start generating electricity by 2024.

Areva and Westinghouse are to supply fuel for units 1 and 2, respectively, of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant between 2016 and 2019 under renewed contracts with Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj.