The first batch of Westinghouse Electric Company nuclear fuel has been loaded into Fortum’s Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant during its annual outage in August. The loading of the new fuel is a significant milestone that guarantees a reliable Western alternative for fuel deliveries to the Loviisa power plant.

In November 2022, Fortum signed an agreement with Westinghouse for the design, licensing and supply of a new fuel type for the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. During the annual outages in 2023, one test element manufactured by Westinghouse, which did not contain actual uranium pellets, was loaded into the Loviisa 2 reactor of the power plant. The test element was used to obtain mechanical operating experiences of the new fuel type. In this year’s annual outages, the test element was found to have worked as expected.

“The safe and reliable operation of our Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant is crucial for Finland’s security of supply. Our customers depend on the stable and clean electricity we produce in Loviisa with high availability. Diversifying the power plant’s fuel supply has been a priority for us over the past two years, and we are delighted to have reached this significant milestone together with Westinghouse,” says Petra Lundström, Executive Vice President, Nuclear Generation at Fortum.

“We are extremely proud of our long-standing partnership of more than 50 years with the Nordic region, working together in nuclear energy to produce carbon-free electricity. Our proven track record supplying the only Western-designed VVER fuel, coupled with our strong regional presence with manufacturing in Sweden, will support Fortum’s long term operational goals,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse President of Nuclear Fuel. 

In February 2023, the Finnish Government granted a new operating license for the Loviisa power plant until the end of 2050. The agreement with Westinghouse and the fresh fuel in storage will ensure the fuel supply for Loviisa until the procurement is tendered as part of the plant’s lifetime extension. A prerequisite for tendering is the availability of alternative fuel suppliers.