Two units could remain in service for 60 years
An International Atomic Energy Agency team has completed a review of long-term operational safety at Sweden’s Forsmark nuclear power station, where the operator is preparing to operate units for 60 years.
Units 1 and 2 at Forsmark, north of Stockholm on Sweden’s east coast, began commercial operation in 1980 and 1981 respectively. They were designed with an initial operational life of 40 years and entered their long-term operation (LTO) phase in 2020 and 2021.
Vattenfall AB, the operator, has decided to extend their operational life to 60 years.
A third unit, not covered by the review, began commercial operation in 1985.
The IAEA team said Forsmark should address some of the remaining elements in plant programmes to ensure the effectiveness in ageing management.
The plant should improve the grouping of components – so called commodity groups – for implementation of ageing management activities and should improve ageing management programmes for civil structures, systems and components for LTO.
The team said Forsmark had developed and implemented a detailed process for the identification of components not directly important to safety that may influence intended functions of safety components. It had developed and implemented a comprehensive obsolescence management programme.
The team also praised the development of a programme to coordinate specialist activities to foster the growth of a specialised workforce in specific areas, such as ageing management.
Swedish nuclear plant licences are not time-limited, but regulatory consent to operate is subject to a periodic safety review every 10 years.
