Sweden's government is set to invite inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to check safety standards at a much criticised and incident-prone nuclear plant, a spokesman said on Saturday, according to Reuters. Controversy has surrounded the Forsmark nuclear facility on the east coast since July last year, when one of its reactors suffered an emergency shutdown. A string of incidents in recent months has followed and the plant's chief quit last week. "We will send a formal request to the IAEA," said a spokesman for Economy Minister Maud Olofsson, who has the nuclear industry as one of her responsibilities. Sweden's nuclear safety authority SKI first made the suggestion of inviting IAEA inspectors to Forsmark, though the formal request has to come from the government. SKI wants the IAEA, the United Nations' Vienna-based nuclear watchdog, to do a nuclear "safety review service" of Forsmark, the first inspection in the country since 1991. Plant operator, state-owned power group Vattenfall, has also welcomed the idea. The problems at the plant forced the resignation on Thursday of Forsmark's chief executive. Vattenfall named a new chief for the facility on Friday, Jan Edberg, the head of another nuclear installation, Ringhals. The Forsmark shutdown in July last year triggered shutdowns for safety inspections at other Swedish plants and at one point half its 10 reactors were off-line. Problems last weekend led to the temporary closure of four reactors, though one has resumed partial operation. Sweden gets about half its power from nuclear facilities, but the issue of atomic power has always been controversial. Swedes voted in a referendum in 1980 to phase out nuclear power. So far, only two reactors have been shut. In neighbouring Finland, in contrast, a fifth reactor is under construction and a sixth is under discussion.
