Reactor at Oskarshamn 3 nuclear power plant in Sweden shut down due to 'fuel damage'

Sweden's most powerful nuclear reactor and largest electricity producer has been forced to shut down due to "fuel damage", according to reports.

Oskarhamn 3 will be temporarily taken out of production to allow for urgent repair work to begin.

Owner OKG said the plan was to fix the problem in April during the plant's annual review, but on further assessment the decision was made to halt electricity production for nine days.

This will begin on February 19.

The damage does not pose any risks to people or the environment, the firm said.

The reactor, which has been supplying 1450 MW since 2012, is more powerful than the two decommissioned reactors also at the site put together.

The company said 'fuel damage' meant urgent action was needed (Alamy Stock Photo)

A company spokesperson told SVT Småland : "We estimate that the reactor will be out of production for nine days until February 27."

Oskarshamn 3 is one of Sweden's six operating nuclear reactors.

The O3 was first built for 1050MW, but it was first expanded to 1200, and most recently in 2012 to 1450 MW.

The Oskarshamn nuclear power plant generates a third of Sweden's electricity (Alamy Stock Photo)

Last year, the reactor broke production records with 11,000,000 MWh.

Meanwhile, the R3 reactor at Ringhals nuclear power plant, situated on Sweden's Värö Peninsula, also suffered problems and had to be stopped multiple times earlier this winter.

The plant's other two units, which produce boiling and pressurised water, respectively, and date back to the 1960s and 70s, are to be cut up and disposed of as early as April 2023, according to owners Westinghouse.

The firm said the problem does not pose a threat to people or the environment (Alamy Stock Photo)

For the reactor internals, engineers will use mechanical underwater remote-controlled equipment, the company said last year in a statement.

It comes after the prosecutor leading an investigation into drones being sighted at Sweden's three nuclear plants last month said there is no evidence foreign powers were involved, according to publicly funded Swedish Radio.

Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters in mid-January to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a drone seen flying over the site but were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle.

Drones were also observed at Oskarshamn and Ringhals.

Forsmark and Ringhals are run by state-owned Vattenfall while Oskarshamn is operated by German energy company Uniper SE.

The three nuclear plants account for around 30% of Sweden's total power production.

The Mirror has contacted Uniper SE for comment in relation to the shutdown.