Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant
in Forsmark
, Sweden
, and also the site of the Swedish Final repository for radioactive operational waste. It is operated by a subsidiary of Vattenfall
.
s:
.
process. The new site will be located next to the already existing final repository for radioactive operational waste, but the two will not be connected with each other.
, where a reactor had exploded the previous day. Chernobyl
is approximately 1,100 km from this power plant.
Detection of rise of environmental radioactivity at Forsmark was crucial in leading Soviet authorities, originally attempting to cover up
the disaster, to admit that a nuclear incident had taken place in Pripyat.
According to the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspection authority SKI, the incident was rated 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale
. Initially it was rated 1 since two generators remained online. But once it was discovered that all four generators could have failed due to the same fault, the event was upgraded to 2.
At the request of the Swedish Government, IAEA launched an OSART mission to Forsmark.
Lars-Olov Höglund, a former construction chief at Vattenfall, claimed it was the most serious nuclear incident in the world since the Chernobyl disaster
and it was pure luck that prevented a meltdown
. Both the SKI and the safety chief of Forsmark power plant disagree with that opinion and state that the incident was serious but the description provided by Höglund was incorrect and there was no real risk of a meltdown. Höglund has personally been involved in a legal dispute with Forsmark Nuclear powerplant for several years in connection with his private business.
However, Kjell Olsson, a researcher at SKI, later stated in an informal discussion with school children that a meltdown
technically could have developed from the incident. The agency later stated that the failing safety system proved to be linked together in a delicate, extremely serious way.
On March 14, 2011, Höglund commented that the Fukushima-disaster parallels the Forsmark incident, i.e. failing UPS
system backup, and repeated his statement from 2007 that "only luck" prevented a meltdown at the Swedish plant.
In January an internal report made by a few employees at Forsmark who were concerned over a "degrading safety culture" was leaked to media who ran an extensive story on it. In the storm following the report the Forsmark CEO chose to resign. Forsmark was already under way to implement a 60-point program designed to improve safety culture, designed shortly after the event in July 2006.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
in Forsmark
Forsmark
Forsmark is a village with 59 inhabitants on the east coast of Uppland, Sweden. It is most known as the location of the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and also the site of the Swedish Final repository for radioactive operational waste. It is operated by a subsidiary of Vattenfall
Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a Swedish power company. The name Vattenfall is Swedish for waterfall, and is an abbreviation of its original name, Royal Waterfall Board...
.
Reactors
Forsmark NPP has three Boiling water reactorBoiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
s:
- F1 with an ABB Atom BWR 69 at 2928 MW thermal and 1010 MWe net was first connected to the gridGrid connectionIn electrical grids, a power system network integrates transmission grids, distribution grids, distributed generators and loads that have connection points called busses. A bus in home circuit breaker panels is much smaller than those used on the grid, where busbars can be 50 mm in diameter...
on 5 June 1980, and commenced commercial operation on 10 December 1980. It has two turbo-alternators. - F2 with an ABB Atom BWR 69 at 2928 MW thermal and 1010 MWe net was first grid connected on 15 December 1980 and commenced commercial operation on 7 July 1981. It is a twin of Unit 1.
- F3 with an ABB Atom BWR 75 at 3300 MW thermal and 1190 MWe net and was first grid connected on 3 March 1985 and commenced commercial operation on 21 August 1985. It is a later design with one turbo-alternator.
Other facilities
West of Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant, there is the static inverter of HVDC Fenno-SkanFenno-Skan
Fenno–Skan is the designation of the high voltage direct current transmission between Dannebo in Sweden and Rauma in Finland.-History:Fenno–Skan was inaugurated in 1989. Taken into commercial operation in November 1989, Fenno–Skan was the longest submarine power cable in the world...
.
Waste disposal
Forsmark is the proposed site for the long-term burial of all spent fuel from Swedish nuclear power reactors, using the KBS-3KBS-3
KBS-3 is a technology for disposal of high-level radioactive waste developed in Sweden by Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB by appointment from Statens Strålskyddsinstitut .The disposal method consists of the following steps:* The waste is first stored in intermediate...
process. The new site will be located next to the already existing final repository for radioactive operational waste, but the two will not be connected with each other.
April 1986
On April 28, 1986, unusually high levels of radiation were detected in workers' clothing at this plant, prompting concerns of a radiation leak. No leak was found, however, and the radiation was subsequently determined to have originated from ChernobylChernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, where a reactor had exploded the previous day. Chernobyl
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant or Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is a decommissioned nuclear power station near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Ukraine–Belarus border, and about north of Kiev. Reactor 4 was the site of the Chernobyl disaster in...
is approximately 1,100 km from this power plant.
Detection of rise of environmental radioactivity at Forsmark was crucial in leading Soviet authorities, originally attempting to cover up
Cover Up
Cover Up is an American action/adventure television series that aired for one season on CBS from September 22, 1984 to April 6, 1985. Created by Glen A. Larson, the series stars Jennifer O'Neill, Jon-Erik Hexum, Antony Hamilton, and Richard Anderson....
the disaster, to admit that a nuclear incident had taken place in Pripyat.
July 2006 incident
On 25 July 2006, one reactor was shut down after an electrical fault.According to the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspection authority SKI, the incident was rated 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale
International Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to enable prompt communication of safety significance information in case of nuclear accidents....
. Initially it was rated 1 since two generators remained online. But once it was discovered that all four generators could have failed due to the same fault, the event was upgraded to 2.
At the request of the Swedish Government, IAEA launched an OSART mission to Forsmark.
Lars-Olov Höglund, a former construction chief at Vattenfall, claimed it was the most serious nuclear incident in the world since the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
and it was pure luck that prevented a meltdown
Nuclear meltdown
Nuclear meltdown is an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term is not officially defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency or by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission...
. Both the SKI and the safety chief of Forsmark power plant disagree with that opinion and state that the incident was serious but the description provided by Höglund was incorrect and there was no real risk of a meltdown. Höglund has personally been involved in a legal dispute with Forsmark Nuclear powerplant for several years in connection with his private business.
However, Kjell Olsson, a researcher at SKI, later stated in an informal discussion with school children that a meltdown
Nuclear meltdown
Nuclear meltdown is an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term is not officially defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency or by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission...
technically could have developed from the incident. The agency later stated that the failing safety system proved to be linked together in a delicate, extremely serious way.
On March 14, 2011, Höglund commented that the Fukushima-disaster parallels the Forsmark incident, i.e. failing UPS
Uninterruptible power supply
An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails...
system backup, and repeated his statement from 2007 that "only luck" prevented a meltdown at the Swedish plant.
February 2007 shutdown
On February 3, two units at Forsmark were shut down to inspect a rubber seal in one of the safety systems. On Forsmark 1 this seal needed to be replaced, a job that would take approximately one month. Unit 2 was cleared by the regulator SKI and was free to restart.In January an internal report made by a few employees at Forsmark who were concerned over a "degrading safety culture" was leaked to media who ran an extensive story on it. In the storm following the report the Forsmark CEO chose to resign. Forsmark was already under way to implement a 60-point program designed to improve safety culture, designed shortly after the event in July 2006.
External links
- Forsmark NPP home page (Swedish version).
- Technical data (Swedish version).
- Production history (Swedish version).