Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant has started its annual maintenance, with work scheduled to continue for more than five weeks. The maintenance begins at Unit 2 and will move on to Unit 1. The full outage is expected to last 38 days.
During the annual service, around one-quarter of the reactor fuel will be replaced. In addition to fuel replacement, the maintenance includes scheduled inspections, servicing and repairs across the plant’s systems.
Fortum said approximately 1,420 workers will take part in the process. This figure includes permanent staff, contractors, summer trainees and temporary employees.
The Loviisa facility employs around 570 regular staff and about 100 employees from contracting companies. For the annual maintenance, an additional 100 trainees and fixed-term workers have been hired. Around 650 specialists from external contractors will also be involved.
Workers travelling from other parts of Finland or abroad will stay in accommodation provided by the plant. This year, for the first time, incoming workers will be housed in newly built accommodation buildings located within the plant’s residential area.
The new facilities are part of a wider investment programme designed to extend the plant’s operational life until the end of 2050.
Fortum estimates that the long-term investment in extending and modernising the Loviisa plant will total around €1 billion by 2050. Over the past five years, it has already invested approximately €200 million into upgrades and improvements.
HT