Finland is to allocate €700,000 ($770,000) to train the potential labour pool to be used in the construction of the Hanhikivi NPP to be build in the north of the country, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE) said. The funding programme aims to ensure that skilled workers will be available for the different phases of the project, including construction, transport and safety, MEE said. Project owner Fennovoima has estimated that preliminary site work in preparation for construction could need around 4,000 employees, MEE said. Peak demand for qualified labour will come in 2018 when construction of the power station is scheduled to start, MEE said.
Hanhikivi-1 will be a 1,200MWe VVER pressurised water reactor of the Russian AES-2006 type to be constructed by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. It is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2024. Rosatom's international division, Rusatom Overseas (now Rusatom Energy International) and Fennovoima in 2013, signed a contract for construction the NPP. Rosatom in 2014 took a 34% share in the project. Finland's parliament in December 2014 by a majority vote approved the project. Fennovoima in June 2015 filed an application for a construction licence.
