Germany-based Nukem Technologies Engineering Services has completed the dismantling of the second and final reactor pressure vessel (RPV) at Sweden’s Oskarshamn nuclear power station, marking a major milestone in nuclear waste management and decommissioning, a statement by the company said.
According to the statement, the decommissioning project, carried out by a consortium with Uniper Nuclear Services (UNS), involved the dismantling of four RPVs at two sites – Oskarshamn-1 and -2 and the older Barseback-1 and -2. The project began in July 2020.
Nukem said it segmented the last Oskarshamn RPV in situ, removed asbestos insulation, and leveraged specialised flame-cutting technology to prepare the vessel components for disposal.