Simulators and safety culture Get to know energy professionals

Transcription

1 Issue 25 November 2012 Photo: Hannu Huovila Interest in new nuclear power plant projects China is interested in Finnish nuclear power expertise Simulators and safety culture Get to know energy professionals

2 Forerunner in nuclear power expertise TVO Nuclear Services Oy (TVONS) is a subsidiary of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), offering you high quality services from the TVO group. Our services cover the entire life span of a nuclear power plant and are based on over 30 years of experience and nuclear power know-how. We have achieved excellent results with the help of our competent personnel and continuous improvement, and the internationally acclaimed availability factors of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant are proof of this. Reliability in energy production is strong proof of competence. TVONS signifies fluent co-operation with companies and other parties, domestically and abroad design competence and solid practical skills honest pride in personal skills and willingness to share competence a responsible, planned and committed working culture high goals and relentless work to achieve them TVONS electronic client magazine Editor in chief: Mikko Leppälä Editors: Elina Heikkilä, Riitta Tenlén, Susan Pietilä Layout: Alasin Media Oy Publisher: TVO Nuclear Services Oy Olkiluoto FI Eurajoki Finland Tel Fax

3 Editorial 11/2012 The new face of the renaissance A few years ago, a renaissance of nuclear power was the topic of much discussion, and several countries announced new nuclear power plant projects. After this, the blue skies of nuclear energy suddenly turned black after the accident at Fukushima. The aftershock of the tsunami that hit Japan can still be seen in many ways. General investment activity has long been affected by the international financial crisis, for which there is still no rapid end in sight. During all the commotion, many large investments have had to be re-evaluated and cost savings have been required. Does this mean that the renaissance has been cancelled? Opinions of the amount of electricity required in Finland in the future seem to vary slightly between experts. However, we can be sure that new electricity generation capacity will be required in the future, if only to replace old and decommissioned capacity. With nuclear power, we can meet our emission targets and offer stable, reasonably priced baseload power for the country s industry, trade, and homes. TVO s new plant projects support this goal. lifetime management, modernisation, and power uprating. Posiva has been carrying out pioneering long-term research concerning the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel for a long time, and it is determined in its approach to start the final disposal in the 2020s. Also this year, TVONS has completed several projects, seminars, and training events promoting nuclear power safety culture. We are involved in Finnish and international projects, providing our nuclear power expertise in many areas, from new plant projects to the safe handling of nuclear waste and spent fuel. These, along with many other achievements, are things that have not necessarily been connected to the nuclear power renaissance, but that create trust in the industry and a stable, determined basis for future activities. Renaissance refers to rebirth. Could it be that the renaissance of nuclear power, in this new situation, has a new face related to the responsible and determined management of a nuclear power plant s entire life cycle? NOVEMBER 2012 TVO has always acted responsibly in terms of environmental issues and nuclear waste management, and it has developed its existing plant units through Mikko Leppälä Managing Director, TVO Nuclear Services Oy 3

4 Interest in new nuclear power Story and photo by Elina Heikkilä 4 Joint seminar by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority and TVONS attract participants At present, Olkiluoto has Finland s most up to date knowledge concerning the construction project for a new nuclear power plant and its demands. - Anne Niemi At the beginning of September, TVO Nuclear Services and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) organised a seminar dealing with the project management and legislation issues related to the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit. The five-day seminar had over 70 participants of 16 different nationalities. The seminar had a wide target audience: participants included authorities, equipment suppliers, and the proposed plant suppliers for the Olkiluoto 4 project. The aim of the five-day seminar was to offer a comprehensive approach that discusses the licensing, permits, and other functions included in the delivery of a new plant unit. In many cases, Finland acts as a reference to constructing new nuclear power capacity. - The seminar attracted a fair amount of industry professionals from around the world. The largest number of people arrived from Japan and Korea, and from the Central European countries where nuclear power construction is growing, says Training Engineer Anne Niemi from TVO. Niemi planned

5 Many different nationalities came together at the Olkiluoto Visitor Centre. plant projects and coordinated the programme, and acted as the contact person for the seminar. Nuclear power plant construction in Finland is carefully controlled The participants spent the first three days in Helsinki, familiarising themselves with the role of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority as the Finnish nuclear energy regulator. The final two days were spent at Olkiluoto, with discussion on current topics and Finnish nuclear power construction. - At present, Olkiluoto has Finland s most up to date knowledge concerning the construction project for a new nuclear power plant and its demands. In the interest of continuous improvement, we want to communicate to the world any lessons learnt during the construction of Olkiluoto 3, Niemi says. Furthermore, nuclear power plant construction in Finland is very carefully controlled. - We want to do our part in ensuring that the participants of the Olkiluoto 4 project understand Finnish legislation and practices, Anne adds. Anne Niemi is happy with the number of seminar participants. 5

6 Jari Vepsäläinen (FinTrade Mercer Oy), Dominic Yin, Guo Tiangue, Mikko Leppälä, and Ilari Aro (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority) on a visit to Olkiluoto in September China is interested in Finnish nuclear power expertise Story and photo by Elina Heikkilä In September, Olkiluoto hosted a Chinese delegation that was interested in learning from Finnish nuclear power expertise and promoting it in their home country. Areas of special interest included the spent nuclear fuel final disposal solution used in Finland, the lifetime management and modernisations of the existing plant unit, and the Finnish safety culture. Mikko Leppälä from TVONS says that the Chinese guests Yin and Tiangue, who operate in the fields of business and the energy industry, are seeking models for co-operation, among other things. As part of their visit, they also participated in the international seminar arranged by TVONS and STUK at Olkiluoto, and visited the operating plant units. - Our guests were impressed by the cleanliness and order at our plant units, says Leppälä. They hope to introduce Finnish nuclear power culture into their native land. 6

7 Simulators and safety culture Story by Riitta Tenlén, photos by Riitta Tenlén and Anne Niemi NOVEMBER 2012 In the turn of October and November, Olkiluoto hosted a training seminar in the framework of the Fenno- Russian radiation and nuclear safety co-operation. The topics of the seminar included training new shift supervisors and operators, and safety culture. In addition to presentations from OL3 and Posiva, the seminar focused on the operating and disturbance procedures for the OL1, OL2, and OL3 plant units, simulator training and its differences between operating and new plant units, and TVO s safety culture. Presentations by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority brought up the authority perspective concerning the safety culture of OL3 and its monitoring, as well as any experience received so far concerning the construction of the OL3 plant unit. Representatives from Sosnovyi Bor talked about their own simulator training and the use of social psychology evaluations in the improvement of operations personnel activities. At the end of the seminar, the group visited the Faculty of Technology and Maritime Management at the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, which uses simulators for training seafaring professionals. Sergey Mitrofanov and Natalia Voskresenskaia visiting the OL1 and OL2 simulator at the Olkiluoto training centre. An interesting presentation by the psychologist Natalia Voskresenskaia discussed the social psychology evaluations of operations personnel at Leningrad nuclear power plants. 7

8 Seminar participants pictured with their hosts. From left, Dmitry Khoroshenin, Natalia Voskresenskaia, Heikki Koivisto, Sergey Rechkin, Saku Latokartano, Sergey Mitrofanov, and Jouko Mononen. Heikki Koivisto (Director of Education, Maritime) introduced the participants to the training simulators used for training Maritime students. Pictured is the small simulator that is used to practice harbour operations. 8

9 The joint stand of TVONS and TVO at the Energy Fair in Tampere could be seen from far away. Get to know Finnish and international energy professionals Story by Elina Heikkilä, Photo by Hannu Huovila In June of this year, TVONS participated in the annual PowerGen fair in Cologne, Germany, by hosting a joint stand with FinNuclear ry and Adiabatix Oy. The company also connected with Finnish energy experts at the Energy Fair in Tampere at the end of October. - In Germany, the main topic was the status of nuclear power in the world, says Managing Director Mikko Leppälä from TVONS. - Germany s decision to abandon nuclear power raised discussion concerning viable replacements and the rise of electricity prices. As a whole, this year s PowerGen fair once again provided TVONS with a good contact point to international energy industry actors. It is important to internationally share your experiences and thoughts about the energy industry and about the future of nuclear power in general. The joint stand by TVO and TVONS at the Energy Fair in Tampere attracted a lot of people interested in the nuclear power industry. - The Finnish audience was interested in hearing about the different tasks TVONS performs domestically and internationally, and how our nuclear power projects are proceeding in this uncertain financial situation, Leppälä says. Many students were also interested in nuclear power. - We received several inquiries related to positions in the energy industry. And the nuclear power industry requires new professionals also in the future, says Leppälä, sending a word of encouragement to those interested. 9

10 TVONS continues Visaginas project in Lithuania Story by Elina Heikkilä, Photos by VAE, TVO In 2009, etvons had a story about a new nuclear power plant project in Lithuania that TVONS was helping to start. Over the years, the Visaginas project has proceeded towards implementation. TVONS has been involved in the advancing of the project from the very beginning. As the latest task for Visagino atominės elektrinė (VAE), TVONS completed an analysis of the design basis for nuclear power plant safety systems. - We completed the work at the plant site in Visaginas, Lithuania, in the summer of We analysed the conditions in terms of extreme weather, such as temperature, wind, and sea level for the design of the safety systems, says Mikko Lemmetty, manager of the OL4 project s Safety Assessment and Development Group at Teollisuuden Voima. TVO performed an analysis of the safety system design basis for the Olkiluoto 4 plant unit in Olkiluoto in 2009 and The analyses were also updated after the Fukushima accident in TVO has reviewed the common European EUR request for tender document in its entirety, and clarified its requirements to be used as text for a contract. At the same time, experience from the Fukushima accident and the requirements of WENRA (Western European Nuclear Regulators Association) and the Finnish nuclear power plant guides (YVL) have been introduced. The document represents the best possible understanding of the requirements placed on a nuclear power plant in Finland, Lemmetty crystallises. Thorough work is essential in the design of a nuclear power plant s safety systems, Mikko Lemmetty emphasises. 10