STOCKHOLM, March 9 (Xinhua) — A damaged nuclear reactor in Sweden that was supposed to be restarted in mid-March has suffered yet more delays, the country’s TT news agency reported on Thursday.
Ringhals 4 was originally scheduled to relaunch last November, following repairs to a pressure vessel damaged in August. The restart date was first moved back to January, then to February 24 and March 19, but the reactor will now be operational only on March 23, TT reported.
“The repair of the pressure vessel is complete,” says Anna Collin, press manager at Ringhals, adding that the return to full production is expected to take place a few days after March 19.
Ringhals previously said it had taken longer than expected to obtain the tools needed for the repairs.
The delay could mean that electricity prices, which have reached record levels in the past year, remain volatile, even given the recent cold weather.
Nuclear power accounts for approximately 30 percent of the electricity produced in Sweden, according to the Radiation Safety Authority.
Following the decommissioning of four reactors between 2017 and 2020, six reactors currently remain at three sites.
Source: sn.dk