Fennovoima to review Rosatom's proposal for mid-sized reactor by end-March
MOSCOW/HELSINKI. Feb 25 (Interfax) - Finnish energy company Fennovoima, which manages the two existing nuclear power units in Finland, has started reviewing proposals by Toshiba, Areva and Russian State Nuclear Energy Company Rosatom on the construction of a mid-sized reactor, Fennovoima said in a press release.
Afterwards, the company might announce a tender. It has promised to decide on a supplier this year.
Fennovoima's board of directors has decided to invite Toshiba to direct negotiations. Toshiba's proposal for Fennovoima's Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant unit is a 1,6000-MW EU-ABWR boiling water reactor at Pyhajoki. The direct negotiations with Toshiba will commence immediately, the press release said.
"The reason for launching the assessment concerning mid-sized reactor options is changes in Fennovoima's ownership structure. The current owners' need for Fennovoima's electricity has not changed and the owners want to ensure the realization of the project," the company reported.
In January 2012, Fennovoima received bids for a nuclear power plant supply from Areva and Toshiba. Negotiations have been on-going through the year, and final updates on the bids were received at the end of this January. As a result of an overall evaluation, Fennovoima's board of directors decided to terminate the on-going bidding process and proceed in the new supplier selection process.
"In the case that we are invited to participate in the tender, we will study its terms and make a decision. The high level of our technology is well known in Finland in the example of the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant, which has already been running efficiently and safely for many years now," a Rosatom spokesman told Interfax.
Finland plans to start building a new nuclear power plant in 2015, to be launched in 2020. The cost of the new facility is roughly 4-6 billion euro, and its maximum capacity will be 1,800 MW.