Europe’s Most Powerful Nuclear Reactor Kicks Off in Finland

Europe’s Most Powerful Nuclear Reactor Kicks Off in Finland
The turbine hall of the nuclear power plant Olkiluoto 3 'OL3' under construction in Eurajoki, south-western Finland, on March 23, 2011. Lehtikuva, Antti Aimo-Koivisto/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

HELSINKI—Finland’s much-delayed and costly new nuclear reactor, Europe’s most powerful by production capacity, has completed a test phase lasting more than a year and started regular output, boosting the Nordic country’s electricity self-sufficiency significantly.

The Olkiluoto 3 reactor, which has 1,600-megawatt capacity, was connected into the Finnish national power grid in March 2022 and kicked off regular production on Sunday. Operator Teollisuuden Voima, or TVO, wrote on Twitter that “Olkiluoto 3 is now ready” after a delay of 14 years from the original plan.