Swedish nuclear reactors shut down over safety concerns
{{date|August 5, 2006}}
{{correction|date=August 14, 2006
|explanation=This article reports that the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant reactor cooling systems failed. This is incorrect. Two of the four emergency diesel generators supplying power to the plant failed to start as expected, during a reactor shut down. The emergency cooling system, which functioned normally was sufficient to meet the reactor's needs. Wikinews apologises for the error}}

[[Image:Forsmark nuclear power plant aerial view.jpg|right|frame|Forsmark nuclear power plant  produces nearly one-sixth of Sweden's electricity]]

Three of [[Sweden]]'s ten nuclear reactors have been shut down due to safety concerns following an incident last week at the {{w|Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant}}, in which the reactor cooling systems failed. The reactor has since been shut down there. After the incident, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, SKI asked all the nuclear power plants to demonstrate that the same failure could not happen in them. On Wednesday, two more reactors at Oskarshamn were shut down after the operator said their safety could not be guaranteed.

Last week's incident at the Forsmark plant was triggered by a short circuit that cut  power to the reactor cooling system. Two of the four backup generators also failed to start, but the remaining two worked and were sufficient to meet the plant's needs. Greenpeace reports that the fault in the backup power systems were traced to new equipment installed in 1993. 
  
The spokesman of the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate Anders Bredfell denied that there was any danger of a meltdown, adding that there was also a backup gas turbine to power the cooling system in an emergency.

However, Lars-Olov Höglund, who was responsible for the nuclear plant Forsmark for many years, said the incident was the most dangerous one since {{w|Chernobyl disaster|Chernobyl}} and {{w|Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile island}}, and that a meltdown was avoided only by pure luck. His views have however been questioned as he is involved in  litigation with the Swedish nuclear industry and is known as an outspoken nuclear critic. Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology as well as the personnel at the power plant were critical of Höglunds' view.

Speaking to BBC News, SKI spokesman Anders Bredfell said that the {{w|International Atomic Energy Agency}} (IAEA) was informed of the incident as required and that the incident classes as a '2' in the 0-7 scale used by the IAEA to assess the severity of the incident. 

Another reactor in Forsmark and a fifth at Ringhals nuclear power plant have been offline due to planned maintenance work. With five of its ten reactors down, Sweden's power generation capacity is down by almost a fifth. 

The environmental group [[Greenpeace]] called on the government to shut down all reactors and probe whether the fault was a generic one. The {{w|Green Party (Sweden)|Green Party}} has called for an independent investigation of the incident. Sweden is scheduled to retire all its nuclear power plants in the next few decades, as decided by a referendum in 1980. 

== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5241780.stm?ls
|title=Swedish nuclear reactors stopped
|author=BBC News
|pub=BBC
|date=August 3, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=4487&date=20060801
|title=Nuclear plant 'could have gone into meltdown'
|author=Adam Ewing
|pub=The Local, Sweden
|date=August 1, 2006}}

*{{source-pr|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/sweden-nuclear-closure-040806
|title=Sweden closes nuclear plants over safety fears
|pub=Greenpeace International
|date=August 4, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/03/sweden.nuclear.ap/index.html
|title=Swedish nuclear power plant alert
|author=Associated Press|pub=CNN|date=August 3, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=573&a=562924&previousRenderType=2
|title=Strålande nyhet - inget har hänt
|author=Dagens Nyheter
|pub=DN
|date=August 4, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}

[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Disasters and accidents]]
[[Category:Sweden]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Greenpeace]]
[[Category:Nuclear accidents]]
[[Category:IAEA]]
[[Category:Nuclear power]]

[[fr:Arrêt de plusieurs réacteurs nucléaires suédois]]
[[ja:スウェーデンの原子力発電所で事故]]
[[pl:Trzy szwedzkie reaktory jądrowe wyłączone ze względów bezpieczeństwa]]
Forsmark nuclear power plant  produces nearly one-sixth of Sweden's electricity

Three of Sweden's ten nuclear reactors have been shut down due to safety concerns following an incident last week at the , in which the reactor cooling systems failed. The reactor has since been shut down there. After the incident, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, SKI asked all the nuclear power plants to demonstrate that the same failure could not happen in them. On Wednesday, two more reactors at Oskarshamn were shut down after the operator said their safety could not be guaranteed.

Last week's incident at the Forsmark plant was triggered by a short circuit that cut  power to the reactor cooling system. Two of the four backup generators also failed to start, but the remaining two worked and were sufficient to meet the plant's needs. Greenpeace reports that the fault in the backup power systems were traced to new equipment installed in 1993. 
  
The spokesman of the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate Anders Bredfell denied that there was any danger of a meltdown, adding that there was also a backup gas turbine to power the cooling system in an emergency.

However, Lars-Olov Höglund, who was responsible for the nuclear plant Forsmark for many years, said the incident was the most dangerous one since Chernobyl and Three Mile island, and that a meltdown was avoided only by pure luck. His views have however been questioned as he is involved in  litigation with the Swedish nuclear industry and is known as an outspoken nuclear critic. Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology as well as the personnel at the power plant were critical of Höglunds' view.

Speaking to BBC News, SKI spokesman Anders Bredfell said that the  (IAEA) was informed of the incident as required and that the incident classes as a '2' in the 0-7 scale used by the IAEA to assess the severity of the incident. 

Another reactor in Forsmark and a fifth at Ringhals nuclear power plant have been offline due to planned maintenance work. With five of its ten reactors down, Sweden's power generation capacity is down by almost a fifth. 

The environmental group Greenpeace called on the government to shut down all reactors and probe whether the fault was a generic one. The Green Party has called for an independent investigation of the incident. Sweden is scheduled to retire all its nuclear power plants in the next few decades, as decided by a referendum in 1980. 

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Environment Disasters and accidents Sweden Europe Greenpeace Nuclear accidents IAEA Nuclear power