Two letters dating from 2008 and 2009 between the Director General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Jukka Laaksonen, and Anne Lauvergeon, the former CEO of plant constructor Areva, reveals Laaksonen did not believe Areva had applied its best expertise in planning work.

Lauvergeon defended the company by placing some of the blame at the door of utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO).

The power plant’s automation system is still not ready even though three years have passed since the correspondence.

Laaksonen was interviewed by the YLE programme A-studio on Monday on the subject of delays to the construction of the reactor, which will be the world’s largest to date. Laaksonen did not agree to say when he thought the plant would come on line.

Earlier this month, energy company TVO estimated that the plant under construction in Eurajoki on Finland’s west coast may not become operational until 2014.

TVO’s estimate was based on information from the French company Areva, which is in charge of the construction. Hold-ups in the planning of automation systems were cited as one of the reasons.

According to the earlier timetable, the new unit was to start generating electricity at the end of 2013. Going by the original plan, however, the unit should have been operational two years ago.

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