Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a contract with Swedish utility Vattenfall to segment the nuclear reactor at its Ågesta Nuclear Plant near Stockholm, Sweden. Under the terms of the contract, Westinghouse will plan, design and manufacture the tools for segmentation; as well as perform the site work. This includes the underwater mechanical cutting of the reactor vessel and its internal components and packing the pieces in containers for Vattenfall to remove from site.
“At Westinghouse, safety in all aspects of the nuclear power lifecycle is paramount – including the safe and cost-effective decommissioning of plants and reactors,” said David Durham, Westinghouse president, Plant Solutions Business Unit. “We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with Vattenfall to ensure the safety of plant staff and the surrounding community during the decommissioning of the plant.”
The Ågesta Nuclear Plant was the first commercial nuclear plant in Sweden. It opened in 1964 and was in operation for 10 years before ceasing operation in 1974. Since the shutdown, limited service has been carried out to maintain the necessary basic functions. The nuclear fuel and the heavy water were removed from the plant directly after the shut-down.
Westinghouse has extensive experience in decommissioning pressurized water reactors (PWRs), boiling water reactors (BWRs), gas-cooled reactors (GCRs), sodium-cooled reactors, research reactors and fuel fabrication plants.
Ågesta was the country’s first energy generating nuclear reactor. Between 1964 and 1974, the plant supplied electricity and district heating to the suburb of Farsta in Stockholm. The construction and running of the Ågesta plant provided valuable experiences that were of immense benefit when designing today’s reactors. The station was built underground, used heavy water moderation and was fueled with natural uranium. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority approved demolition of the station in December 2019.
(Source: Vattenfall – Image: Ågesta NPP/Holger Ellgaard)