FORTUM CORPORATION ONLINE NEWS 21 August 2018
Fortum and consulting engineering company AINS Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide extensive joint Finnish services to safe management of Low and intermediate level (LILW) radioactive waste in China. The agreement enhances also the cooperation between other Finnish companies and organizations such as VTT and Posiva Solutions.
The Chinese nuclear industry is rapidly expanding with new build activity to reach 20 new reactors by 2020 adding to the existing fleet of 38 reactors. As China becomes increasingly mindful of environmental integrity and reduce fossil fuels, this zero-carbon nuclear energy solution requires enhanced focus on radioactive waste management. Finnish expertise has an important role in disposing of Chinese radioactive waste and building a cleaner future together with shared respect for nature and the environment.
“At Loviisa, Low and intermediate level waste (LILW) from normal plant operations and plant decommissioning is processed and disposed of at the nuclear power plant site by Fortum's personnel. This minimises the need for transportation of the waste and makes it possible for us to optimise the LILW management from generation to the disposal,” says Dr. Jari Tuunanen, Head of Nuclear Waste at Fortum.
“There are big differences in how different radioactive waste types are managed, but one common approach is that it is safer to build these disposal facilities underground,” says Timo Saanio Vice President – International Operations at AINS Group.
Fortum is a forerunner in nuclear waste management by being one of the first ones in the world running the underground disposal facility for low and intermediate waste since 90’s. Eventually this facility will also take all the decommissioning waste from the power plant when it is dismantled after final shut down. Fortum has designed and constructed facility and operates it, whereas AINS Group (previously Saanio & Riekkola) participated in the design of it.
Contact:
Dr. Sami Hautakangas, sami [dot] hautakangas [at] fortum [dot] com (sami[dot]hautakangas[at]fortum[dot]com), tel. +358 40 351 5568
About AINS Group
AINS Group Nuclear Waste Management initially started the design of LILW facilities in a project by the request of Finnish nuclear power utility TVO in the late 1970s. This repository has been in operation since 1992. They have also successfully designed the much larger facility in Wolsong, South Korea that came into operation in 2015 and have been providing consulting engineering services in international radioactive waste projects in 20 countries. AINS Group has also participated in the design of the final repository for LILW of Loviisa power plant in the 1990's.
Fortum
Fortum is a leading clean-energy company that provides its customers with electricity, heating and cooling as well as smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. We want to engage our customers and society to join the change for a cleaner world. We employ some 9,000 professionals in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and India. In 2017, our sales were EUR 4.5 billion and 61% of our electricity generation was CO2 free. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.fortum.com