AREVA - Olkiluoto 3 : EPR dome installed

Construction by AREVA of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR™ reactor in Finland reached a major milestone today with the installation of the reactor building dome.
The steel component weighing 210 tons and measuring almost 47 meters across was hoisted by two of the most powerful cranes in the world and lowered into place 44 meters above the ground. The inner section of the reactor building is now completely covered and to seal it, the dome will be welded around its circumference and covered with 7,000 tons of concrete.
The erection of the dome required several months of preparatory work inside the reactor building during which the polar crane was installed and the 8.3-meter wide heavy equipment hatch created in the inside wall.

"Olkiluoto 3 is the first third generation plant in the world with a fully sealed reactor building. The lowering of the dome marks the end of the civil works phase and the start of the erection phase. All that remains is to install the pipes and commission the plant" said Jean-Pierre Mouroux, General Manager for the project. "At a time when nuclear power requirements are increasing sharply worldwide, this project gives AREVA unrivalled experience in the advanced reactor market".
The AREVA-Siemens consortium employees 3,600 people from 60 countries on the Olkiluoto 3 site. Heavy component manufacture and supply will continue through 2009.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• AREVA
• EPR
• Finland
• Olkiluoto 3
• nuclear plant
• nuclear

[kai84m]

Congratulations to Finnland and Areva. Really great work, I hope Germany will get the chance to buy some electrical Power since we are shutting down all our save and effective Powerplants over here.

[MokomaSusi]

@pegasus0

So you want us to live in caves? Germany is building 80 new coal plants at this very momoment... that's because they build windmills.

Windmills do need back up energy sources.

[etbadaboum]

@kai84m That's a shame beause EPR is an european collaboration. It would have been great to fusion even more French and German energy activities. Now we have to move on.

[pegasus0]

@MokomaSusi Well... there is a lot to say about your point. 1) there are sustainable communities living in fairly comfortable alternative structures which don't use cement, bricks and other extractive resources; 2) I never said that coal, oil and gas are a better alternative (although "biogas" can be DIY): 3) current national energy need figures do not take into account the enormous amounts of wasted energy in house holds and businesses! 4) ECO - design and architecture of living environments!

[pegasus0]

@43932 ...but infact I would never support coal, oil or large scale production of gas sources of energy, but renewables + reduced consumptions in our daily life! not all the energy we consume is necessary! no greenwash or heavily ingeneered production means... that's all smoke in the eyes!

[jambed2010]

great!! lol its fandabby cant wait for the new british plants with the new EPR's :D

[t83rg]

I also recommend new documentary film about nuclear waste repository reseach facility "Onkalo" very near to Olkiluoto 3 site: "Into Eternity", by Michael Madsen, 2010

[MokomaSusi]

@t83rg

I know what he has to say.

Fact is that wind mills never deliver enough energy to our country... other option is to build more coal power. Somehow i doubt that you greens would like that.

[t83rg]

@MokomaSusi

Yes, this is something that TVO and Fortum (finnish nuclear power companies) and their co-owned nuclear waste company Posiva want's us all to think. And they put a lot of money for marketing...

It's however (less) known fact that this "Onkalo" -reseach facility is located on bedrock that is fractured on large blocks. Prof. geology Matti Saarnisto talks about this and many other problems of Olkiluoto-site in the video you can find in YouTube: /watch?v=SC4ZAGbpL1U