Seventy percent of Finland’s power comes from coal, gas, hydro and biofuels. Some power is imported from Russia. Coal is imported from Poland and Russia. All imported gas comes from Russia. Finland has four operating nuclear reactors that supply about thirty percent of their electrical power. When the annual rainfall is low, there is a power shortfall and more electricity must be imported. Finland is working to be more energy independent.
Two boiling water reactors were purchased from a Swedish company and brought on line in 1978. They were originally rated at generating about six hundred and fifty Megawatts of electricity but were eventually upgraded by thirty percent to eight hundred and sixty Megawatts. There are plans to upgrade them to one thousand Megawatts each. Their lifespans have been extended from forty years to sixty years and their status will be reviewed every decade. The other two reactors were purchased from a Russian company, had Western control systems installed and then put into operation around 1980. They have also had their power output upgraded and life spans extended from thirty years to fifty years. The Finnish reactors have an excellent record of maintenance, stable output and safety. They have an average capacity factor over the last ten years of over eighty five percent.
The fuel supply for the two Swedish reactors illustrate the global nature of the nuclear industry. Uranium for the two reactors has been purchased from Canada, Australia and Africa. The uranium was converted to UF6 in Canada and France and the Russians enriched it. The fuel rods have been fabricated Germany, Sweden and Spain. At least nine countries located all over the globe have been involved in providing fuel for the two Swedish reactors. This makes those reactors especially vulnerable to any events that interfere with international trade and/or global transportation networks. The operators of the two Russian reactors contracted with Russia for a complete fuel service. This makes the fuel supply less vulnerable to global problems but makes it more vulnerable to interruption if there are any problems in Russia.
Finland started working on spent nuclear fuel disposal in 1983. A fund was established to accumulate funds for final disposal and it now contains over two billion Euros. The companies operating the reactors are responsible for handling and storing waste until it is moved to permanent storage facilities. There are already permanent repositories for low–level waste and they are being upgraded to eventually take spent nuclear fuel rods. In 2010, a Finnish mining company announced plans to recover uranium from nickel and zinc mining operations.
Plans have been approved for the construction of a fifth reactor. This reactor is the first new reactor project in ten years in Western Europe. There are additional discussions and planning for the construction of a sixth and seventh reactor in Finland. Finland is an example of a country that has proceeded with an efficient, safe and responsible implementation of nuclear power for generation of electricity.
Seal of Finland:
