Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant
| Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant | |
|---|---|
 Ringhals NPP | |
  Location of Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Coordinates | 57°15′35″N 12°6′39″E / 57.25972°N 12.11083°ECoordinates: 57°15′35″N 12°6′39″E / 57.25972°N 12.11083°E |
| Construction began | 1969 |
| Commission date |
R1: January 1, 1976 R2: May 1, 1975 R3: September 9, 1981 R4: November 21, 1983 |
| Operator(s) |
Ringhals AB (Vattenfall 70.4%, E.ON 29.6%) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational |
R1: 855 MW R2: 866 MW R3: 1051 MW R4: 935 MW |
| Annual generation | 27,021 GW·h |
Ringhals is a Swedish nuclear power plant with 4 reactors, one boiling water reactor (R1) and three pressurized water reactors (R2, R3 and R4). It is situated on the Värö Peninsula (Swedish: Väröhalvön) in Varberg Municipality approximately 60 km south of Gothenburg. With a total power rating of 3560 MWe, it is the largest power plant in Sweden and generates 24 TWh of electricity a year, the equivalent of 20% of the electrical power usage of Sweden. It is owned 70% by Vattenfall and 30% by E.ON.
Following a number of security breaches and incidents since 2005, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority decided in 2009 to put Ringhals under increased surveillance.[1] In 2012 a small amount of explosive was found underneath a truck at the plant.[2]
In October 2012, 20 anti-nuclear Greenpeace activists scaled the outer perimeter fence, and there was also an incursion at Forsmark nuclear power plant. Greenpeace said that its non-violent actions were "intended to protest against the continuing operation of these reactors, which it argues were shown to be unsafe in European stress tests."[3]
In April 2015, Vattenfall announced "Ringhals 1 and 2 may be closed down between the years 2018 and 2020 instead of, as previously announced, around 2025", due to the declining profitability of these units. Ringhals 3 and 4 are still expected to continue in service until the 2040s.[4]
References
- ↑ "Pressmeddelande: SSM beslutar om särskilda villkor för drift vid Ringhals" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Explosives found at Sweden nuclear site in Ringhals". BBC. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ↑ "The antis attack!". Nuclear Engineering International. 5 April 2013.
- ↑ "Sweden to speed up nuclear reactors closure". thelocal.se. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
External links
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