20 Oct (NucNet): The Areva-Siemens consortium constructing the Olkiluoto-3 European pressurised water reactor (EPR) unit in Finland said that confronted with construction delays, it succeeded in convincing utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) that a number of measures were required to �accelerate and improve� the programme.

Areva said in a statement that TVO will be �chiefly responsible� for implementing these measures.

The statement said that the Areva-Siemens consortium signed a turnkey contract with TVO under which the customer committed to validating documents sent by the consortium to the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) within two months, but in fact TVO is taking an average of nine months to do so.

The consortium has also started arbitration proceedings for a number of other contractual aspects, the statement said.

The Areva-Siemens consortium will update the construction schedule by the end of the year, depending on the progress made.

The statement said the manufacture of the primary components, the reactor vessel and the first steam generator has been completed. Forging for the reactor coolant pipes has been validated, and Areva representatives are on hand in the plants of suppliers of more than 10,000 components to ensure that they are delivered as quickly as possible.

Areva-Siemens also pointed out that STUK has expressed its satisfaction with the consortium�s services concerning nuclear and occupational safety. These two aspects continue to be the consortium�s top priority, the statement said.

TVO announced last week that civil construction works at Olkiluoto-3 will take several months longer than expected, resulting in a possible delay to the startup of the unit until 2012.

But the company denied media reports that it has been negotiating to share possible losses stemming from the delay with Areva-Siemens.
This is not the first time the schedule for Olkiluoto-3 has changed. In December 2006, Areva-Siemens said commissioning had been pushed back to the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011, a delay of up to one year from previous estimates, because construction work had been slower than planned. In December 2007 the schedule was revised again with a commissioning date of summer 2011.

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

Finnish Utility �Disappointed� Over New Setback For Olkiluoto-3 (News No. 186, 10 August 2007

Finland�s Olkiluoto-3 Estimated To Start Operation In Summer 2011 (News No. 264, 28 December 2008)

Process Starts To Find Next IAEA Chief (World Nuclear Review No. 40, 17 October 2008)

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