The operator of the Oskarshamn nuclear power station on the southern Swedish coast said Wednesday that two of its three reactors would be shut down because their safety was not guaranteed.
The decision follows an electricity fault at the Forsmark nuclear power station last week which led to one reactor shutdown and allegations that a reactor meltdown was prevented only by luck.
"Since we cannot yet be certain that our station could cope with an incident like that in Forsmark we have decided to halt operations until we get clearance, or instructions on what needs to be improved," Anders Oesterberg, spokesman for Oskarshamn operator OKG, told Swedish radio.
According to the TT news agency, Environment Minister Lena Sommestad is ready to order safety checks on all Swedish nuclear reactors as soon as a government inquiry into the Forsmark incident is complete.
Sweden has shut two of its 12 nuclear reactors since 1999 as part of a plan to phase out nuclear power over the next 30 or so years, or until the reactors' life span expires.
But according to a recent opinion poll, an increasing number of Swedes want to continue to use nuclear energy and even expand it.
Nuclear power accounts for nearly half of Sweden's electricity production.
