Finland: leak of radioactive material at OL3 nuclear plant

There was a leak of reactor coolant at the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant on March 7. According to the plant’s operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), around 100 cubic metres of coolant flowed into the containment rooms and the floor drain system because of a human error. There was no risk for the personnel and the environment due to prompt safety actions. An investigation has been launched into the causes of the incident. Work on the nuclear reactor’s annual outage will continue as planned and conclude at the beginning of May.
Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) is Finland’s newest and biggest nuclear reactor. The project has experienced several problems and delays over the years, resulting in 2024 in the outage work dragging on for longer than expected. The impact was significant, with a jump in electricity prices across the country.