Nuke builder demands more money from Finland

[kristopher]

Areva ups Olkiluoto compensation demand

The French-German nuclear contractor Areva-Siemens has increased its demand for compensation over an abandoned deal to provide the third reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The company is now demanding a total of 2.6 billion euros in compensation—an increase of 700 million euros on its previous demand.

The legal disputes around the third reactor set to be built at Olkiluoto in Eurajoki have taken a new turn. Both the Finnish consortium Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) and Areva-Siemens are demanding compensation from the other party.

The project has been delayed by at least seven years from its original start date of 2009, and the builder Areva-Siemens and the customer TVO have traded accusations as each tries to blame the other party.

TVO announced on Tuesday that Areva had updated its arbitration claim with an increased demand for compensation. The sum is now 2.6 billion euros—700 million euros more than originally claimed....

http://yle.fi/uutiset/areva_ups_olkiluoto_compensation_demand/6907271

A nuclear plant that's 7 years behind schedule and currently at 300% + original cost estimate in a country that has no "antinuke" forces to deal with.

This project was to be a flagship operation for the nuclear industry - they said it would be a transparent case study in how the 'modern' nuclear industry could deliver on-time and on-budget when the regulatory regime was working with them.

I'd say they've done a spectacular job of showing the world exactly that.

For background on this clusterf*&k see wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olkiluoto_Nuclear_Power_Plant

[pscot]

1. Whoops

[kristopher]

2. A similar reactor at Flamanville France is turning out the same way.

Way behind schedule and waaaay over budget.

...Construction on a new reactor, Flamanville 3, began on 4 December 2007.[2] The new unit is an Areva European Pressurized Reactor type and is planned to have a nameplate capacity of 1,650 MWe.

EDF has previously said France's first EPR would cost €3.3 billion and start commercial operations in 2012, after construction lasting 54 months.

On 3 December 2012 EDF announced that the estimated costs have escalated to €8.5 billion ($11 billion), and the completion of construction is delayed to 2016. The next day the Italian power company Enel announced it was relinquishing its 12.5% stake in the project, and 5 future EPRs, so would be reimbursed its project stake of €613 million plus interest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamanville_Nuclear_Power_Plant

[kristopher]

3. Is there a lot of antinuclear sabotage of nuclear economics in Finland?

I have it on good authority the high cost os nuclear power is a direct consequence of antinuclear activism.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112758404#post1

This pretty wells settles that shit, doesn't it?

[LouisvilleDem]

4. Kristopher, please

The problems are not a result of of antinuclear activism, they are a direct result of French incompetence. Obviously the Finns should have chosen a country that has more experience with nuclear power, someone like, you know, what's that European country that gets most of its power from nuclear?

What? Oh, never mind...

[kristopher]

5. Well, how about Japa...

No, that wouldn't do either, would it?