Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and Rauman Biovoima Oy are launching a cooperation venture with the waste exempt from control generated at the Olkiluoto power plants treated by Rauman Biovoima in the process of their combined heat and power production plant. This will be the first time that the maintenance waste originating in nuclear power plants is recycled in Finland. The first pilot batch is planned to be transferred from Olkiluoto to Rauman Biovoima by the end of November.
The objective of the new cooperation venture is to increase waste utilization. Previously, similar waste has been disposed of in the ground. The benefit of the new operating model is that the waste can now for the first time be reclaimed for reuse through burning it for energy. The previous final disposal process has also been significantly more expensive to carry out, and the packaging and disposal of the waste have required the use of natural resources.
Maintenance waste that is exempt from control has been declared safe to people and the environment in terms of its radiation properties. It is therefore no longer included in the scope of radiation control and can be treated as any combustible municipal waste. The operating model to be introduced has been approved by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) and is based on guidelines received from the authorities.
“The acceptance of maintenance waste exempt from control excellently supports Rauman Biovoima’s systematic work as a promoter of the circular economy and sustainable production,” says Markus Pyykönen, Managing Director of Rauman Biovoima.
No modifications, special measures or arrangements will be needed in the processes of Rauman Biovoima. The waste received from Olkiluoto will be treated as any recycled fuel.
The waste to be sent for incineration consists of, for example, overalls, gloves, and plastic covers. Any materials that are poorly suited to incineration are removed from the waste before it is sent.
The incineration treatment will be started with a pilot batch of a little less than ten cubic metres by the end of the year. TVO estimates that approximately 30–80 cubic meters of such maintenance waste suitable for incineration are generated at Olkiluoto each year.
For more information, please contact:
Markus Pyykönen, Managing Director, Rauman Biovoima Oy, markus.pyykonen@pvo.fi, tel. +358 40 840 248
Teollisuuden Voima’s Press Release 11 November 2025
Rauman Biovoima Oy is a company 72% owned by Pohjolan Voima Oyj, operating a biomass power plant in Rauma on the UPM mill site. The combined heat and power plant supplies heat and electricity to UPM’s paper mill and to Rauman Energia. www.raumanbiovoima.fi