11 Feb (NucNet): Swedish utility Vattenfall’s nuclear operations set a generation record of 55 TWh in 2018, an increase of 3.1 TWh over 2017, the company said in its annual results.
The company said its 2018 profit increased by SEK 2.5 billion (€238m) to SEK 12 billion, partly due to a re-evaluation of shares in the Nuclear Waste Fund to “a fair value”.
The Nuclear Waste Fund is a federal fund that manages fees paid in by nuclear power companies and owners of other nuclear facilities in Sweden. The fees are intended to finance future expenditure for managing and disposing of spent nuclear fuel and other waste products.
Fees are calculated in relation to the energy that is delivered, but the fee is different for each payer. The fee payments in 2017 amounted to SEK 3.7bn.
Vattenfall said its underlying operating profit for 2018 dropped by SEK 3.3 billion to SEK 19.9 billion.
Combined availability for Vattenfall’s nuclear power plants for 2018 was 88.9%, up from 84.9% in 2017. For the fourth quarter of 2018 it was 94%, up from 90.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Vattenfall owns 10 nuclear reactors. Seven are in Sweden (four at Ringhals, three at Forsmark), and three in Germany (Brunsbüttel, Krümmel and a minority stake in Brokdorf). The Brunsbüttel and Krümmel reactors have not generated electricity since 2007 because of the decisions to phase out nuclear in Germany.
