Fortum says it’s in line with supplier contract

Matti Kattainen, the director of nuclear power at Fortum, stated to STT that the company is in line with its supplier contract and wouldn't speculate on whether or when it could stop the use of Russian fuel. The company has previously stated that it will invite bids from supplier candidates once its operating licences, as well as the current supplier contract, come up for renewal in 2027 and 2030.

Fortum stated earlier this year in a half-year report that the fuel supplier can't be swapped overnight due to certificate requirements and licensing processes.

When the current contract ends, we will look at who the most suitable fuel supplier is, summed up Kattainen.

Fortum submitted an application for a license to continue operating the plant until 2050 in March.

A professor of nuclear technology at LUT University, Juhani Hyv rinen said that Fortum is in a difficult position due to the relatively low number of potential suppliers. He said that the company would likely need a year or two after signing a supplier contract to take the first delivery.

Russian nuclear fuel accounted for roughly 20-30 per cent of the global market, he said in an interview with YLE. The European Commission has reported that Russian-made reactors that are fully reliant on Russian fuel remain in five countries across the EU: Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia.

Hyv rinen stated to both news outlets that there are no insurmountable technical obstacles to replacing the fuel. He commented to YLE that the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant, for example, previously ran on fuel from British Nuclear Fuels Limited BNFL There is plenty of uranium and you can certainly procure fuel for reactors that are currently in use at reasonable prices.

Nuclear fuel is not currently on the European Union's sanctions list. The possibility of bringing it within the scope of sanctions has been discussed, but the likelihood of doing so in the midst of the energy crisis seems low. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs told YLE that adding nuclear fuel to the list would require a unanimous decision by the 27- country bloc, but it wouldn't say anything about the discussions.

Hyv rinen has refrained from commenting on what he said is a political decision.

I have been asked about this occasionally and I have made it a habit to answer like the prime minister and say the right thing is to stop the war, withdraw behind recognised borders and fix the damage, he stated to the public broadcasting company.

The use of Russia's nuclear fuel became a topic of discussion in Finland on Saturday after news reports about police officers overseeing the loading of what turned out to be Russian nuclear fuel onto an aircraft bound for Bratislava, Slovakia, at Lappeenranta Airport.

We are talking about transporting fresh fuel through Finland. This is completely ordinary activity, said Petteri Tiippana, director general at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority STUK.