Fortum has commenced annual refuelling and maintenance outage of its nuclear power plant Unit 2 in Loviisa, Finland, followed by the servicing of Unit 1.
Image: Annual outage 2018 begins at Fortum's Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland. Photo: courtesy of Fortum.
Unit 2 will undergo the extensive inspection outage that takes place every eight years and Unit 1 the short refuelling outage. The entire outage procedure is estimated to be completed in about 64 days.
In addition to the normal periodic maintenance tasks and refuelling, several safety improvements will be implemented and completed during the annual outages, including the automation modernisation to improve the plant’s critical safety functions, ensuring the safety functions of the secondary circuit, and renewal of the emergency generators’ cooling water piping.
Along with the maintenance work on the main generators, the stators of two generators will be replaced. In addition to the normal preventive maintenance work, the turbine work includes modernisation of the high-pressure turbine and inspections. During the outage, one quarter of the fuel will be replaced.
In addition to the plant modification and improvement work, Loviisa 2 will undergo the extensive inspection outage implemented every eight years, in which e.g. the pressure vessel and its inner parts will be inspected, and pressure tests of the primary and secondary circuit’s pressure equipment and pipelines will be performed.
Loviisa power plant deputy manager Thomas Buddas said: “The annual outages and the biggest investments in the plant’s history are being implemented as part of our lifetime management programme to ensure the reliable electricity production of both plant units also in the future.
“The principle of continuous improvement has been our way of operating at the Loviisa power plant already for decades. The high expertise of our personnel and the high-quality team work are emphasised when challenging projects are carried out in collaboration with partners and external workers.”
In addition to the power plant’s 500 employees, about one thousand external workers from about one hundred companies will take part in the annual outage and the ongoing projects. About 80 percent of the workers are Finns. Additionally, workers will come from Croatia, Russia, Germany, Poland and France.
Source: Company Press Release