Finland’s nuclear reactor, Olkiluoto 3, will shut down for a scheduled 37-day maintenance break starting on Saturday, March 2.
According to Finnish news agency YLE, this is the reactor's first annual maintenance pause since it started full production last year.
The reactor's operator, Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), said the reactor will operate with annual maintenance breaks in its first years of operation, but the gaps between them will increase in duration over time.
TVO said in the initial years of operation, the reactor will require annual maintenance, but as time goes on, the intervals between maintenance will lengthen.
The operator said the 1,600-megawatt reactor supplied more than a tenth of Finland’s electricity needs last year, and the plant's three reactors supplied 31% of all Finland's electricity needs.
It is anticipated that the upcoming disruption will drive up spot electricity costs with the need to cover the power deficit from the halt in production at the plant.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr