In upper secondary school, Hanna was good in mathematics and physics and chose to pursue an engineering degree after visiting LUT University in Lappeenranta. Energy interested Hanna as an industry of the future, and due to her interest in renewable energy, Hanna changed study plans after spending a summer at the Loviisa nuclear power plant working in radiation monitoring.
A summer job is a good opportunity to see what the industry is like. My summer job experience was really nice. There are a lot of summer workers in Loviisa and it was a nice group of people.
The first summers of Olli’s university years were spent in a family-owned plumbing company, where he gained good energy-related experience in boiler overhaul. He was interested in fusion power but decided suddenly to switch to nuclear engineering, which had its own separate study programme. Olli worked in radiation monitoring in Loviisa for several summers. He also helped Hanna to familiarise herself with the tasks when she started as a summer trainee. Olli also worked in similar positions in Olkiluoto and Forsmark. Both Hanna and Olli completed their dissertations for Fortum after which they continued as permanent employees of the company.
Olli’s dissertation examined the earthquake classification for Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant, and after completing the project, he was able to continue his work within the same topic. Before he started, the classifications had not even been defined and had to be created from scratch to meet regulatory requirements. “There are only few experts in Finland who are familiar with this topic. It is motivating to create something new when there are no established ways of doing things yet. I work with tasks related to earthquake planning and suitability as well as with various nuclear safety assessments for Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. Based on the assessments, we make changes to the plant’s operations or systems if needed.”
New projects and developing the old
Hanna’s tasks have focused on several different external projects. Her work has included tasks in project management as well as tendering but also specialist tasks. The focus has been on Finnish projects, but she has gotten a chance to also work in international teams and with projects abroad. “At the moment I work mostly with feasibility studies for new nuclear projects. I am a bit of a nuclear generalist, working on all sorts of things. For example, I am currently planning power plant supplier assessments. New nuclear is the most interesting area for me and I prefer working on tasks related to it. Now, after a long break, we are again looking at a possible project of our own, which is interesting. We are working on a preliminary study to see whether it would make sense to go ahead with the project from an economical and technical standpoint.”
We are seeing interest towards nuclear power all over the world now.
In contrary to Hanna’s work, Olli’s tasks relate to a decades old power plant. There are limitations for an already existing plant which requires problem-solving abilities. The plant also has to be in operation all the time. “It is fascinating how one needs to be able to solve so many things that have not been taken into account when the plant was originally designed. Additionally, the organisation and the mindset of the people working there need to be modern and develop constantly. I am intrigued by combining the new and the old.” In addition to his work in Loviisa, Olli has also been involved with other nuclear power projects at Fortum.
In Hanna’s work within new nuclear, the increased expectations and demands from the society need to be taken into account whereas in Olli’s work, the premise is the current situation of the power plant. However, Hanna adds that experts often use Loviisa power plant as a reference, and Fortum’s expertise comes from its long operating experience.
New lessons from the Nordic trainee program
Both Hanna and Olli agree that their studies provided a good basis and a broad understanding for working within the field of nuclear power. The curriculum is shaped by one’s own choices. In his studies, Olli focused more on technology, so the electricity market and the energy business have become familiar to him in his professional life. He appreciates that at Fortum, he has been encouraged to try new things and has learned a lot at work!
Hanna and Olli have both been participants in the first ever Nordic Nuclear Trainee program which aims to develop competences of the field. In the group, there were people with diverse backgrounds, and even though Hanna and Olli already had few years of experience in the field, they both learned a lot. The program consisted of different modules and job rotations during which they were able to work at different power plants. “We got to follow other people’s work, so we were able to observe the operational culture and the community as well as how things actually work in practice. In particular, the time spent in the control room was really interesting, people working there have such extensive knowledge of the entire power plant. The participants formed a close and good group, where everyone dared to ask questions and comment on things. We were an open and interactive group.”
Networking and job rotations were the best part of the program. Especially in Sweden you had the opportunity to observe things and get into places which you wouldn’t otherwise experience.
Hanna hopes that in the future, we will build a new nuclear power plant. Olli will remain open to new work assignments, including those related to new nuclear. Olli states that the best part of Fortum is the team spirit. “In this work community we are able to create something completely new and there is always someone who has relevant experience. That is a big asset for us – people want to share their knowledge and experiences. We have traditionally had a strong focus on doing things ourselves, not many things are outsourced. We have a strong in-house expertise and, even by international standards, we are better equipped and more willing to do things ourselves. Increasingly, we would also like to sell our own expertise internationally.