The strongest in Europe is already working

The nuclear reactor EPR Olkiluoto, located in Finland, is already in operation. After 12 years of construction, the plant that operates the plant announced that the EPR nuclear reactor was first launched last night.

The Olkiluoto reactor is considered the most powerful in Europe.

The Olkiluoto nuclear reactor has a production capacity of 1,650 megawatts.

According to the information, the reactor, built by the French group Areva, went into operation at 03:22 (01:22 in Lisbon). Electricity production is expected to start at around 30% of capacity in January before operating normally from June 2022, Finnish energy company TVO said in a statement.

The launch time was historical. The last time a reactor was built in Finland was more than 40 years ago, and even in Europe, a similar event dates back to the beginning of the 21st century.

The Olkiluoto reactor project, which is billed as the most powerful in Europe, was launched in 2005 in southwestern Finland, but has been marked by various delays and financial leaks. With a production capacity of 1,650 megawatts, the reactor should provide about 15% of the country's consumption.

The reactor was delivered in March, but the Finnish nuclear regulator only authorized operation last week.

Despite the fact that it was designed to restart nuclear power - which was heavily criticized after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 - the new reactor was equipped with a "significant" cement structure.

So far, the Taishan plant in the People's Republic of China has built only two EPRs in the world.