OL2 nuke plant resumes power generation after outage
The Olkiluoto 2 (OL2) nuclear power plant resumed production on Thursday morning after the annual outage, said the owner of the plant Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) in a press release.
The plant returned to electricity production at 8:21a.m. after the annual outage of 10 days, 14 hours, and 24 minutes.
In addition to own staff, about 700 subcontractors participated in the annual outage, with a total of 1200 different tasks performed at the unit.
The electricity production at the OL2 nuclear power plant remained suspended from April 28 due to annual outage.
The original schedule was extended by more than two days due to technical faults encountered during the installation of the reactor pressure vessel cover and during the plant startup phase.
During the refueling outage, in addition to fuel replacement, annual electrical and automation system periodic inspections, maintenance and tests were carried out.
Among the most significant individual tasks were leak tests of isolation valves and the addition of a low-voltage criterion to the diesel generator changeover automation.
Meanwhile, maintenance outage at OL1 will begin on May 12, lasting for 16 days.
Due to technical issues, the first-ever annual outage of OL3 delayed for five times and will continue until May 14.
The duration of OL3 annual outage will be 73 days.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
Why did the Olkiluoto 2 nuclear power plant experience technical faults during the installation of the reactor pressure vessel cover? Was this a common issue during annual outages?
During annual outages, technical faults can occur at nuclear power plants like Olkiluoto 2 due to the complexity of the maintenance and repair processes. The installation of the reactor pressure vessel cover is a critical task that requires precision, and sometimes unexpected issues arise. While it’s not uncommon for such challenges to be encountered during these periods, the safety protocols and thorough inspections in place help ensure the integrity of the plant’s operations.
How did the technical faults impact the overall duration of the annual outage at OL2?
The technical faults encountered during the installation of the reactor pressure vessel cover and the plant startup phase led to a delay in the original schedule at the OL2 nuclear power plant. This resulted in an extension of more than two days for the annual outage, affecting the overall duration of maintenance and operational procedures, including fuel replacement, inspections, and system tests.
Why were there so many technical faults during the installation and startup phases? Was the plant adequately prepared for the annual outage?