Environmental monitoring at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant

Our monitoring at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant

We monitor Hamnefjärden, which is the bay where the hot water from cooling the power plant is released, and the sea area one kilometer outside the bay. Monitoring at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant started in the early 1960s. Some aspects of the investigation have been ongoing continuously since then.

This is what we do in Hamnefjärden

• control of fish loss in filter stations
• surveys with nets
• surveys with fyke nets
• age and growth analyses on perch and roach
• blast fishing for fish fry
• hydrographic measurements
• control of gonads and fitness on perch and roach

This is what we do in the outer area and the reference area Kvädöfjärden

• surveys with nets
• age and growth analyses on perch
• blast fishing for fish fry
• keep records of commercial fishing catches
• monitoring of bentic organisms
• hydrographic measurements
• control of gonads and fitness on perch and roach

The monitoring at Oskarshamn also consists of a radioecological part for which the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is responsible.

Read our reports

We summarize the results of our monitoring in annual reports that are then used in the power plants' environmental reports to the county administrative boards. Every five years we conduct a more comprehensive evaluation. You can find the annual reports via SLU's publication database.

About Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant

The first reactor at the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant was commissioned in 1972. Two more reactors were commissioned in 1974 and 1985. Cooling water for the reactors is taken in via two deep-water intakes south of the plant and discharged into a protected bay, Hamnefjärden. The cooling water is heated to approximately 10 °C above the intake temperature.