Safety better at Swedish nuclear plant, but more needed: IAEA Stockholm (AFP) Feb 28, 2008 The UN's nuclear watchdog on Thursday noted improved security measures at a problem-prone nuclear plant in Sweden, but recommended a number of other steps to increase safety further. The Forsmark nuclear plant on Sweden's east coast "has introduced or extended several programmes contributing to improved operational safety," Miroslav Lipar, head of International Atomic Energy Agency mission in Sweden, said in a statement. The Swedish government requested that the IAEA investigate the plant following several worrying incidents that culminated in an electricity failure there on July 25, 2006. The Forsmark 1 reactor was immediately shut down after two of four back-up generators, which supply power to its cooling system, malfunctioned for about 20 minutes, with some experts suggesting a catastrophic reactor meltdown had been narrowly avoided. The IAEA had not identified "any major (security) problems, just possibilities for improvement," Anna Lihr, a spokeswoman for plant operator Vattenfall, told AFP. The plant was praised for, among other things, its "effective management of fire cells in order to prevent the spread of any fire and associated fumes," according to the IAEA statement. The UN agency inspectors, who spent three weeks reviewing the plant's security operations, meanwhile recommended several additional improvements at the facility, including strengthening "emergency preparedness procedures." "We will follow the excellent suggestions we have received through the IAEA inspection of our current development programme," plant chief Jan Edberg said in a statement. A complete IAEA inspection report on the Forsmark nuclear plant is expected to be published within three months. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
India shrugs off US nuclear accord warning New Delhi (AFP) Feb 28, 2008 India's foreign secretary on Thursday said he was working to seal a civilian nuclear deal with the United States, but cautioned that he did not see a deadline based on the US political calendar. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |