Europe’s largest reactor goes online in Finland as Germany ends nuclear era

Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor, the largest in Europe, has started regular production after months of delays, producing around 14 percent of the country’s electricity and expected to remain operational for at least 60 years. The reactor, built by the French-led Areva-Siemens consortium, was first started up in December 2021 and connected to the Finnish grid in March last year. Meanwhile, Germany has officially ended its use of nuclear energy by shutting down its last three nuclear reactors on April 15, following a decision made in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown in Japan. Germany has been accelerating its phase-out of nuclear power since 2002, but some have criticized its reliance on coal amid an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Sources: CGTN