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After twelve years of delay, the Finnish EPR has finally started. The third of its kind in the world, the technology it uses to generate electricity is said to release less radioactive waste. Yet the delays are piling up.
The most powerful of the operational reactors of the Old Continent has been inaugurated. On the island of Olkiluoto, in southwest Finland, the third EPR commissioned in the world aims to supply 15% of Finland’s energy thanks to its capacity of 1662 megawatts. “This is very good news because we are able to create additional carbon-free energy in the midst of an energy crisis which is the worst in the last twenty years.“, analyzes Thierry Bros, energy specialist and professor at Sciences Po.
Launched in 2005 by the French energy giant Areva, the work will have taken 16 years, including 12 years late. Also, the initial bill of 3 billion euros has tripled. Nine billion euros therefore, to which is added 1 billion euros of late penalties for the energy group. A situation comparable to the construction of the Flamanville EPR (Manche) which is not necessarily a bad omen because “hopefully the curse of delays and rising costs of this reactor ends today“, concludes the specialist.