STOCKHOLM (AP) — A reactor at a nuclear plant in southern Sweden shut down unexpectedly on Wednesday after suffering a fault in its turbine, Swedish broadcaster SVT said.
“Oskarshamn’s reactor 3 is disconnected from the power grid due to a turbine shutdown. Troubleshooting is in progress,” plant spokesperson Désirée Liljevall told SVT.
Nord Pool, a pan-European power exchange, said that the duration of the stop was unknown and “more information will follow within 24 hours.”
Sweden, a country of about 10 million, has six active reactors at three plants: three at Forsmark north of Stockholm, two at Ringhals and one at Oskarshamn.
The Oskarshamn plant initially had three reactors but two were permanently shut down. It normally has an output of 1,400 megawatts.
On its website, the operator, OKG, said the reactor is one of the world’s largest boiling water reactors. Construction of the plant began in 1980 and the start-up took place five years later.