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Swedish nuclear power plant security plan presented

Mar 7, 2007, 11:07 GMT

Stockholm - Proposed measures to raise security awareness at the Forsmark nuclear power plant were generally praised Wednesday, although the Swedish nuclear watchdog called for some additional steps before approving the plan. The Forsmark plant has in recent months been criticized for a deterioration of security routines and has been under review by the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) after a shut-down of one of the reactors late July 2006 after a short-circuit in a switchyard outside the plant. State-owned energy group Vattenfall that is majority owner of Forsmark launched a programme last month aimed at restoring better respect for security issues. A new board chairman and a new chief executive officer were appointed, and jointly promised to improve security awareness. The plans were also sent to SKI. After reviewing them, SKI said the Forsmark board and management had 'clearly stated' that safety was a priority. Additional steps ordered by SKI included to extend the plan to a few more personnel groups, including duty staff in charge of supervising that the reactors are operated according to applicable regulations. Planned management training for some key staff categories should be conducted earlier than 2008 as the Forsmark management had proposed, SKI said. SKI said that as part of its efforts to chart security thinking, Forsmark needed to use a various measures including questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observations and reviews of documents - as recommended by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. Three nuclear reactors are operated at Forsmark, some 140 kilometres north of Stockholm. Nuclear power provides about half of the country's electricity. At its height, Sweden had operated 12 nuclear reactors. Two at the Barseback plant in southern Sweden have been decommissioned, the most recent in May 2005. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Robert PalgraveMar 8th, 2007 - 11:16:12

NO NEED FOR NUCLEAR

There really is no need for further expansion of nuclear power in Sweden. Security is a continuing issuse as your reports highlights. Instead, Sweden should be backing the proposed development of a pan-European network aimed at bringing totally clean electrical power from the deserts of N Africa.

This technology, called Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight to create heat, then uses the heat to raise steam and drive turbines and generators, just like a conventional power station. It is possible to store solar heat in melted salts so that electricity generation may continue through the night or on cloudy days. This technology has been generating electricity successfully in California since 1985 and half a million Californians currently get their electricity from this source. CSP plants are now being planned or built in many parts of the world

The 'TRANS-CSP' report commissioned by the German government, shows in detail how Norway, Sweden and other countries in the area can meet all their needs for electricity, make deep cuts in CO2 emissions, and phase out nuclear power at the same time. Copies of the TRANS-CSP report may be downloaded from www.trec-uk.org.uk/reports.htm . The many problems associated with nuclear power are summarised at www.mng.org.uk/green_house/no_nukes.htm .

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