Swedish nuke reactor to be taken off-grid for repairs

Stockholm, Nov 29 (IANS) The largest nuclear reactor in Sweden will be taken off-grid next week for repairs, as electricity prices soar during the winter season.

Reactor 3 at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in the southeast of the country will be disconnected on December 9, Sweden’s nuclear power operator OKG said on Monday.

A faulty generator can then be repaired, Xinhua news agency quoted OKG as saying.

The reactor is expected to be closed for nine days until December 18.

With a maximum output of 1,450 megawatts (MW), Oskarshamn 3 is one of the largest Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) in the world.

According to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, several nuclear reactors were decommissioned during 2017-2020, widening the gap in electricity prices between different regions.

Recently, prices in the south peaked at close to eight Swedish crowns.

Statistics Sweden’s figure shows that electricity prices increased by an average of 25.6 per cent in October compared to the same month last year.

At the end of August, OKG announced that another reactor, Ringhals 4 in the southwest of the country, would be inoperable for months due to a damaged pressure vessel.

It said later that the stoppage of the reactor, which has an output of 1,130 MW, is expected to last until January 31, 2023.

–IANS

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