Swedish nuclear group to boost safety

subscribe

Swedish utility group Vattenfall said it will create a new executive post to keep tabs on its nuclear power activities after criticism over operations at plants in Sweden and Germany.

The new post is the result of an internal report into a series of incidents at the company's Swedish nuclear plants, starting with an emergency shut-down at the Forsmark plant in 2006.

In addition to the post of Chief Nuclear Officer, which the firm said had yet to be filled, Vattenfall said it will also set up a Group Nuclear Security Council.

"As a consequence of what happened at Forsmark last year, Vattenfall's Board of Directors has made nuclear safety issues its top priority in 2007," Vattenfall Chairman Dag Klackenberg said in a statement.

In July 2006, a short-circuit triggered the shutdown of one of the three reactors at Forsmark -- owned by Vattenfall, Mellansvensk Kraftgrupp and Germany's E.ON. Other reactors were also shut down to check the same problem could not occur.

A leaking seal and a fire at another Swedish plant added to concerns over safety. Problems were not confined to Sweden.

In Germany, Vattenfall's Kruemmel and Brunsbuettel plants remain off line after a fire in a transformer substation at Kruemmel this year and a short circuit at Brunsbuettel.

German authorities threatened to withdraw Vattenfall's operating license for the two plants after the incidents.

Vattenfall owns half of Kruemmel and two-thirds of Brunsbuettel. E.ON holds the remaining stakes.

Vattenfall's Chief Executive, Lars Josefsson, said he agreed with the report's recommendation that Vattenfall's safety culture needed reinforcing, and said the company would now "start work to restore a position as global benchmark for nuclear safety".

Related News

bcs-green-energy-ambitions-face-power-supply-challenges

B.C.'s Green Energy Ambitions Face Power Supply Challenges

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's ambitious green energy initiatives are encountering significant hurdles due to a strained electrical grid and increasing demand. The province's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources is being tested by the limitations of its current power infrastructure.

Rising Demand and Dwindling Supply

In recent years, B.C. has experienced a surge in electricity demand, driven by factors such as population growth, increased use of electric vehicles, and the electrification of industrial processes. However, the province's power supply has struggled to keep pace. In fiscal year 2024, BC Hydro imported a record 13,600 gigawatt…

READ MORE
ofgem proposal

Two new electricity interconnectors planned for UK

READ MORE

Alberta creates fund to help communities hit by coal phase-out

READ MORE

Quebec Halts Crypto Mining Electricity Requests

READ MORE

ontario nuclear

Ontario confronts reality of being short of electricity in the coming years

READ MORE