On Monday, Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear power plant experienced a turbine failure that led to an interruption in electricity production. The fault was detected in the reactor’s turbine at 11:41 am, and investigations are currently underway by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO). Fortunately, the incident has no effect on nuclear safety.
OL3 is a critical power plant in Finland, producing approximately 14% of the country’s electricity. Despite just returning to production after annual maintenance, the turbine malfunction caused the reactor to disconnect from the main grid. Fingrid, the network company, swiftly activated backup power plants with approximately 600 megawatts of capacity to mitigate the impact of OL3’s disconnection.
Fingrid had prepared for such scenarios to ensure that the Finnish electricity system could withstand the loss of a major power producer like OL3. While the interruption in production was significant, system protection measures limited its impact on the main grid to just over 1,300 megawatts. Fingrid managed to handle this shortfall by using its own reserve power of 600 megawatts.
The recent interruption came as OL3 had just resumed regular electricity production after undergoing extended annual maintenance that was delayed and stretched to 74 days. Despite these challenges, OL3 played a crucial role in Finland’s electricity production and handled efficiently to prevent any major disruptions.
In summary, despite experiencing an unexpected interruption in electricity production due to a faulty turbine at Olkiluoto nuclear power plant on Monday morning, Fingrid was able to mitigate its impact and prevent any major disruptions thanks to its preparedness and reserve capacity.
