It has taken a long time, resulting in unusually low nuclear power production, but Vattenfall hopes that maintenance and cleanup work on the reactors at the Ringhals plant will be completed within a few weeks.
We hope that all our reactors will be in production before winter, says Kerstin Ahlfont.
The rubber residue that has spread throughout the cooling system comes from valves in the system. But it is not a sign that the two reactors, which were commissioned in the early 1980s, are starting to age, according to Ahlfont.
These effects are not direct signs of aging, she says.
Billions worse
Vattenfall's underlying operating profit for the third quarter fell to SEK 3.8 billion, down from SEK 6.2 billion a year earlier, according to an interim report. It also shows that net sales during the quarter fell to SEK 42.9 billion, down from SEK 49.3 billion.
The third-quarter result was also negatively affected by hydropower production being limited by unusually low water levels in the reservoirs.
Supply disruptions at Vattenfall's facilities are helping to push up electricity prices for Swedish households and businesses. Another important explanation is that high gas prices on the European continent are spreading to southern Sweden through electricity trading.
Benefits electricity producers
High electricity prices are positive for Vattenfall's margins.
If we look at the results for the first nine months, where we have a better underlying result than in the same period last year, one of the reasons is that electricity prices in the Nordics have been higher, says Ahlfont.
However, market hedging - which protects operations from the effects of sharp price movements - dampens the direct effect.
There is no news about plans for three new reactors at Ringhals, a project run by Viderberg Kraft, in which Vattenfall holds a majority stake. The Swedish state's support is currently being examined by the European Commission under state aid rules.
No risk
Vattenfall's CFO does not see any risk that a new government would halt the investment.
A project like this requires broad support for new nuclear power in Sweden, and especially on the Värö Peninsula (where Ringhals is located). That is a prerequisite. And we see that this support exists in the Riksdag.
