Fortum's future participation in the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant project remains unclear as the Finnish electricity producer's talks with Rosatom and Gazprom Energo on restructuring Russia's territorial generating company TGC-1 have yet to reach agreement.

Russia's Rosatom does not plan to increase its stake in the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant project in Finland, the state nuclear corporation's deputy director general, Kirill Komarov, said yesterday. Komarov was responding to questions during a press conference at the VII Atomexpo 2015 conference and exhibition in Moscow.

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) does not plan to submit a construction licence application for the fourth unit at its Olkiluoto plant before its 2010 decision-in-principle expires next month. The company had earlier sought an extension to that decision.

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.