Olkiluoto 3, the flagship European project for Areva's Generation III+ pressurized water reactor, will not enter service in 2014 as originally hoped, Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj announced Monday.
In a release, a company spokeswoman said, "The plant unit's installation works and plant automation system engineering under the responsibility of the supplier have not progressed according to the supplier's schedules. Even though we are not pleased with the situation and the fact that there have been repeated challenges with the time scheduling, works are progressing and solutions for remaining I&C items are fixed step by step."A new completion date was not set, with TVO reporting it expects an updated construction schedule from contractors Areva and Siemens. Areva issued a statement Monday saying the companies notified TVO of the delay on July 6, and "that the planning had to be reassessed and that therefore TVO would be bearing responsibility for any slippage, which appeared during late spring 2012."The 1,600 megawatt Areva EPR is the first of its design. The announcements follow previous delays, with the completion date originally set for 2009. Two EPRs are also under construction at Taishan in China. The first is scheduled to begin generating power next year, and it now may become the world's first operating EPR unit.