Overview

Sweden currently has 10 electricity producing nuclear reactors, 7 BWRs and 3 PWRs, located at 3 sites. In 1980, on the basis of a national referendum, the Swedish Parliament decided not to build any more nuclear reactors and that those already in service should be taken out of operation by 2010 at the latest. In accordance with this, one reactor has already been shut down..........

State review and assessment of SKB's activities are currently carried out by 2 governmental agencies, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) and Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SSI)......

Since 1988 all L/ILW from reactor operations has been transported by SKB and emplaced in the SFR - the Swedish Final Repository for Radioactive Operational Waste. The wastes are transported on the MV Sigyn, a French-built ferry, which is both ro-ro and lift-on/lift-off, although it normally operates in roll on - roll off mode.

SFR is located near the Forsmark nuclear power plant, and consists of 4 rock caverns for different classes of wastes, and a rock silo for the most active components of ILW, excavated at a depth of 50 metres below the floor of the Baltic...............

Sweden does not intend to reprocess spent fuel. At present, following a short period of at-reactor storage, all spent fuel is shipped by sea to the interim store, CLAB, situated adjacent to the reactor site at Oskarshamn. It is operated for SKB by OKG. CLAB has a receiving capacity of 300 tonnes per year, and in practice up to 200 tonnes are accepted. Fuel is planned to spend at least 40 years at CLAB before being transferred to a final repository when constructed. CLAB is currently being expanded.

Potential sites for a repository have been under investigation in Sweden since 1977.........On November 16th 2000, SKB announced that it wanted to continue investigations at..........

SKB announced on 3rd June 2009 that it had selected a site near Forsmark, in Östhammar as its preferred site....... SKB hopes to submit the required applications to the Environment Court and to SSM by the summer of 2010, with repository operations scheduled for 2023.

In order to assist in the site selection process, SKB are conducting research into surface and underground characterisation methodologies and techniques in a purpose-built underground laboratory. The Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory has been constructed adjacent to the Oskarshamn NPP site and the CLAB Facility. The project entered the Operational Phase in 1995.