Under normal conditions, the environmental impacts of nuclear energy production do not pose any harm to people or the environment. The impact of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant’s operations on land, sea and air are being continuously monitored. Based on the monitoring, operations only cause minor environmental load.
The most significant environmental aspect of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant is the production of climate friendly electricity and the most significant impact is the warming up of the sea water near the plant. The long-term target is continuous management of the thermal load of the cooling water. During the year under review, the temperature of cooling water remained within the limits required by the environmental permit. Radioactive emissions from the nuclear power plant into air and water bodies were extremely small. The commissioning tests carried out at OL3 created temporary environmental effects.
Nuclear electricity is climate-friendly, and thus TVO is a significant contributor to the mitigation of climate change and promotion of sustainable development. TVO participates in the Energy Efficiency Agreement Scheme, and complies with the associated Action Plan for Energy Production that describes the implementation of actions designed to make the use of energy more efficient and to improve the efficiency of primary energy use as well as the total efficiency of energy production.
