Unit 1 of the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in Sweden has been permanently shut down. A decision not to restart the unit after an operational issue resulted in it closing ten days ahead of schedule.

Systems design and safety analysis work has begun for a planned encapsulation plant as part of Swedish waste and fuel management company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB's plans for managing the country's radioactive waste.

The Swedish framework for physical protection and computer security at nuclear power plants, other nuclear facilities and for nuclear material in transport continues to show good progress, an International Atomic Energy Agency report concludes following a mission there last year.

The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority has recommended the government approve the nuclear power industry's latest program for research and development on radioactive waste management. The country's nuclear industry must submit such a program every three years.

USA-based firms Bechtel and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) have today announced the formation of an alliance to offer decommissioning and dismantling services for nuclear power plants in Germany and Sweden.

Vattenfall's nuclear power plants performed well in 2016, with a high level of availability and stable generation, according to Torbjörn Wahlborg, head of generation at the Swedish utility. "But 2017 can be an even better year if we continue to enhance our working methods and avoid a number of simple operational errors which caused stoppages last year," he said.

LeadCold, the lead-cooled small nuclear reactor technology company, has said licensing and construction of a demonstration SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Fast Reactor) in Canada has moved a step closer thanks to $200 million in funding from Essel Group Middle East.

US-based GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has been awarded a three-year contract to dismantle the reactor internals of units 1 and 2 at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in Sweden.

UPDATED Swedish utility Vattenfall has signed long-term supply contracts with three nuclear fuel manufacturers, adding for the first time Russia's TVEL to its established relationships with French Areva and American Westinghouse. The agreements - worth SEK 1.2 billion in total - cover 19 consignments to Ringhals 3 and 4 between 2018 and 2025.

Sweden has made good progress over the past five years in its legislative and regulatory framework for physical protection and computer security at nuclear power facilities and in the transport of nuclear materials, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Following the Paris climate conference at the end of last year, the energy sector is facing its biggest challenge ever. Countries around the world are searching for pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are looking for the right balance to the trilemma of security of supply, sustainability and competitiveness. Nordic countries can offer some useful lessons, writes Lauri Virkkunen.

Newly published findings from a five-year international project to study conditions at the surface and below the Greenland Ice Sheet will be used in evaluations of the future safety of deep geological repositories over time frames of up to a million years.