APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090022-2
constructed at the Swedish Nuclear Research Center at Studsvik. Only three of the research reactors are still in operation — the R-2, R-2-0, and Kritz. The R-2 reactor is a 50-megawatt thermal (MWt), tank-type reactor, fueled with 90% enriched uranium and moderated with ordinary water. The R-2 reactor, which went into operation in 1960, is employed chiefly for materials testing and fuel development, and a large part of the company's income is derived from materials testing commissioned from abroad. The R-2-0 reactor is a 1-MWt swimming pool type reactor, fueled with 90% enriched uranium and moderated with ordinary water; it also began operation in 1960. The third research reactor, Kritz, went into operation in 1969. Originally constructed as a subcritical assembly, it was reconstructed twice as a zero-power reactor. The second reconstruction is used for experimentation on various types of uranium and plutonium fuel. All of the enriched uranium to fuel the research reactors was supplied by the United States. Three additional reactors have been closed down; these were the R-1, the R-0, and the FR-0 reactors. The R-1 and R-0 reactors were heavy water moderated, natural uranium fueled reactors. The 1-MWt R-1 operated from 1954 to 1970, and the zero-power R-0 was in operation from 1959 to 1970. The FR-0, a 10-kilowatt critical assembly, was in operation from 1964 to 1972.
Although the Swedish State Power Board has overall responsibility for the nuclear power program, construction of the nuclear power stations is done by private industry under the supervision of the Atomic Energy Company. There are two nuclear power reactors in operation and an additional nine are either under construction or planned. The R-3 or Agesta, a small 75-MWt reactor, has been in operation since 1963 at Agesta, a suburb of Stockholm. It is a pressurized heavy water reactor and produces 10 MW of electricity as a byproduct of its principal use for space heating. Originally a demonstration project of the Atomic Energy Company, its operation was transferred to the Stockholm Electric Powerplant. The reactor has always operated at a loss and is scheduled to be closed down in 1974. A second heavy water moderated nuclear power reactor was contructed at Marviken but was never operated. The Marviken reactor has been abandoned, and the station will be converted to an oil-fired plant.
Sweden has abandoned the heavy water moderated type of reactors for its nuclear power program, and all subsequent reactors are to be Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) or Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). The first truly commercial nuclear power reactor is the 440-MWe Oskarshamn-1 which went critical in 1971. Oskarshamn, originally named after the nearby small town of Simpvarp, is located on the east coast of the country south of Stockholm. Additional reactors will be sited at Oskarshamn, and three other power sites are at Ringhals, on the west coast south of Goteborg; Barseback, also on the west coast but north of Malmo; and Forsmark, on the east coast north of Stockholm. The schedule of construction of the additional BWR or PWR nuclear power reactors is as follows:
| Facility and Output (MWe) | Expected Date | Type | Chief Contractor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringhals I
760 |
1974 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Under Construction |
| Ringhals II
820 |
1974 | PWR | Westinghouse | Under Construction |
| Oskarshamn II
580 |
1974 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Under Construction |
| Barseback I
580 |
1975 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Under Construction |
| Ringhals III
900 |
1977 | PWR | Westinghouse | Ordered |
| Barseback II
580 |
1977 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Ordered |
| Forsmark I
900 |
1978 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Ordered |
| Ringhals IV
900 |
1979 | PWR | Westinghouse | Ordered |
| Forsmark II
900 |
1980 | BWR | ASEA-ATOM | Planned |
The slightly enriched uranium for fueling the BWR and PWR power reactors will be purchased from other countries; fuel for Oskarshamn I has been supplied by the United States. The Swedes have built pilot plants for fuel reprocessing and heavy water production. Since the heavy water moderated reactor type has been abandoned, Sweden has no plans to construct a heavy water production plant. The plan to construct an industrial size fuel reprocessing plant has been postponed until the nuclear power program is sufficiently large to permit economic operation, probably in the 1980's.
The uranium content of the oil shales of southwestern Sweden is estimated at about 1 million tons, one of the world's largest deposits. However, the ore is very low grade, containing only about 300 grams of uranium per ton of shale. Processing such a low grade ore is expensive compared with world market prices of uranium. The richest Swedish uranium deposits are in the shale of the Billingen area, where a uranium processing facility, the Ranstad Uranium Works, went into operation in 1965. The plant's present capacity is about 120 tons of uranium oxide per year, but the Swedes may well increase this capacity in the near future.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090022-2
