Greenpeace reported on August 4 that four of Sweden’s 10 nuclear plants were shut down after the discovery of several faults. The plant closures immediately cut Sweden’s electricity supply by around 20%. Following a serious incident at the Forsmark nuclear power station, a former director of the plant said: “It was pure luck that there was not a meltdown. Since the electricity supply from the network didn’t work as it should have, it could have been a catastrophe.” The backup power faults were found to be a result of faulty equipment installed 13 years ago. The same faulty equipment is installed at a range of other nuclear plants around the world. The plant closures in Sweden followed problems with nuclear power plants in Europe as a result of the very hot summer. There are plans in place in Sweden to phase out nuclear power plants over the coming years.

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