2 Nov (NucNet): Swedish energy group Vattenfall is still not sure if its Brunsbuettel and Kruemmel nuclear power plants in Germany will be restarted before the end of 2007.
Both plants were shut down on 28 June 2007 because of short circuits in the electricity grid. At Brunsbuettel, a failure in the grid preceded the shutdown. At Kruemmel, the shutdown was caused by a fire in a power transformer.
Reporting interim results for the first nine months of 2007, Vattenfall said the prolonged outages were due to the detection of “a couple of deviant anchors” in subsequent inspections of the units. Anchors were installed on piping systems during a previous backfitting campaign to improve the seismic safety of Germany’s nuclear power plants.
Vattenfall said the outages at its German reactors had cost the company some 800,000 euro (EUR) (1.15 million US dollars) a day.
The company reported a 555 million Swedish kronor (SEK) (USD 87 million) charge for the third quarter from lost electricity sales as a result of Brunsbuettel and Kruemmel not operating. Vattenfall said it has lost almost 200,000 customers in Germany because of a “crisis in confidence” following the closure of the units.
Vattenfall said following the scrams at Brunsbuettel and Kruemmel, “a heated debate” was sparked on the future of nuclear power in Germany and Vattenfall was justifiably criticised for providing insufficient information to the general public.
“Both events were classified as a zero on the seven-degree International Nuclear Event Scale, and no risks were posed to people or the environment,” the company said.
In Sweden, Vattenfall’s operations were affected by a month-long outage at Ringhals-3. The outage was due to a short circuit as a result of a tool being left in a newly installed generator.
Vattenfall reported a decline in operating profit for the period of 2.8% to SEK 21 billion (USD 3 billion, EUR 2.2 billion). But for the third quarter alone it reported a 38 percent increase in operating profit to SEK 4.55 billion (USD 714 million, EUR 491 million).
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
German Reactors In Safe State After Shut-Downs (News No. 158, 29 June 2007)
Head Of Vattenfall Europe’s Nuclear Energy Division Dismissed (News No. 167, 16 July 2007)
Head Of Vattenfall Europe Resigns ‘To Regain Trust’ (News No. 171, 18 July 2007)
