Swedish Minister Tells Nuclear Operators to Boost Security

Sweden called on operators of nuclear reactors to take steps to improve plant safety, Environment Minister Lena Ek said, after environmental activists entered restricted areas at two atomic facilities.

“This is a very serious situation,” the minister said in a video posted on the government’s website yesterday. Ek met earlier with the country’s radiation safety authority and with Vattenfall AB and EON AG (EOAN), two of Sweden’s plant operators.

“I have furthermore called for a new meeting in one month, when I expect an analysis of exactly what happened, what has been invested, as well as an action plan,” Ek said.

About 60 activists from Greenpeace, the environmental lobbying group, entered the Forsmark and Ringhals nuclear plants, the regulator said on Oct. 9 on its website.

Sweden’s nuclear regulator plans to investigate the matter further, Mats Persson, director general of the radiation safety authority, said in an e-mailed statement. Vattenfall, EON and Fortum Oyj (FUM1V) will be asked for further information, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Torsten Fagerholm in Helsinki at tfagerholm@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lars Paulsson at lpaulsson@bloomberg.net