STOCKHOLM, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) — Sweden’s largest nuclear reactor has been taken offline after a turbine shutdown, which experts warn could lead to power supply problems.
Reactor 3 at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant was disconnected from the grid on Wednesday, according to local media.
“We are troubleshooting and do not yet have a forecast (for when it might be online),” said Desiree Ljljevall, communications director for OKG nuclear power company, according to local newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Reactor 3 has an output of 1,400 megawatts. If the problem persists, it could cause (power supply) problems, said Erik Ek, spokesman for the main grid agency.
“We will then have a problem on really cold days,” he added.
At the end of August, it was reported that another reactor, Ringhals 4 in the southwest of the country, would be unusable for months due to a damaged pressure vessel. Later, local media reported that the reactor shutdown, which has an output of 1,130 megawatts, was expected to last until January 31 next year.
Christian Holtz, electricity market analyst at the consulting company Merlin & Metis, tells the news agency TT that the interruption of Reactor 3 would have a major impact. Electricity prices are likely to soar even higher, as most of Sweden’s electricity is produced in the north and the reactor shutdown could exacerbate existing problems with the power transmission grid.
According to the Radiation Safety Authority, nuclear power accounts for approximately 30 percent of electricity production in Sweden. There are six nuclear reactors in operation at three nuclear power plants: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals.