Is Sweden Losing Its Nuclear Expertise?

Finland's top nuclear safety regulator thinks so:

In the view of Jukka Laaksonen, director-general of Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), recent reports of shutdowns of Swedish commercial nuclear reactors because of security problems suggest that there has been a "deterioration of expertise", in nuclear power in that country.

Laaksonen says that he sector no longer attracts gifted young people, ever since Sweden decided to give up nuclear powers. Experts in the field, who are actually quite skilful, have been recruited from various countries such as Vietnam and the former Soviet Union.

Speaking at an event launching the latest safety study on Finnish nuclear power plants on Thursday, Laaksonen said that Swedish officials are also losing touch.

He noted that things are different in Finland: more nuclear energy is being built, and the field interests gifted young people. At Lappeenranta Technical University alone, 200 students are studying it.

He also feels that Finnish officials are very much in touch with the situation. STUK has kept a tight rein on the builders of the new reactor at Olkiluoto. "We have maintained German expertise by training 1,000 experts from that country in connection with the Olkiluoto 3 project", Laaksonen said. The facility is being built by a German-French joint venture.

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