Overall environmental objectives at OKG

• Continuous improvement of radiation safety

• Continuous improvement in HSSE

• Developing the capabilities and effectiveness of the organization and teams

• Responsible and competitive business

Through systematic work, we improve radiation safety and our working environment, prevent ill health and accidents, and reduce our environmental impact. By optimizing the operation of the facilities, we contribute to the reduction of the global environmental impact.

Significant environmental aspects

• Production of climate-efficient electricity

OKG typically supplies just over 10 billion kilowatt hours to the Nordic power grid. The electricity comes from an energy source that does not generate direct emissions that affect the climate during production (however, the fuel is finite). When OKG has an overhaul shutdown or for some other reason the plant is at a standstill, Sweden has to buy in electricity from coal production, for example. If OKG is producing at full capacity and the need for electricity in Sweden is less than the production, our country can sell and "push" away, for example, coal power.

• Waste

Conventional and hazardous waste is produced, but also radioactive waste. Different types of radioactive waste are generated in production. High-level waste requires cooling, fuel that is sent to Clab (Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel). Intermediate level waste is mainly ion-exchange materials that are poured into boiling chambers and sent to SFR (Final repository for short-lived radioactive waste). Low-level waste consists mainly of worn-out overalls, shoe covers, etc.

Much of the hazardous waste generated is residues from chemicals such as waste oil and oily water.

• Chemical products/chemicals

OKG has many different activities, which means that there is a need for a large number of different types of chemicals and chemical products. Some common products are operating chemicals, cleaning agents, lubricating oils, paints, fuels, adhesives, laboratory chemicals, etc. Many of these products contain substances that can be harmful to the environment.

OKG strives to reduce and prevent the use of environmentally hazardous chemical products by trying to replace them with products that are less harmful to the environment. However, there are specific requirements for a nuclear power plant, which means that the substitution principle cannot always be applied.

• Training and education

At OKG, staff regularly undergo various training courses, one of which is basic environmental training. Training is a positive environmental aspect because increased knowledge of the positive and negative environmental impact of operations can indirectly lead to the continuous improvement of OKG's environmental performance and the achievement of set environmental objectives.

Training can help employees to make environmentally conscious decisions in their daily work that not only affect the environment locally but also regionally and globally.

• Radioactive emissions to air and water

The process produces radioactive substances and small airborne particles that travel with the steam. After a period of decay, they are released through the stack and the activity is measured. As process plants cannot be completely sealed, there is a leakage collection system for water coming from the process. The water is collected in tanks and when the radioactivity is low enough, the tanks are emptied into the sea after measuring the activity. The radioactive emissions are very small and OKG is constantly working to reduce emissions.

• ElectricityIn order to produce, energy is needed to keep production constant. Electricity is used to run the pumps that bring cooling water into the plant and also for the pumps that circulate water in the main process. Read about our process. In addition to our production that requires electricity, electricity is used, for example, to heat the buildings that are not heated by the process, ventilation, lighting. About 4.0% of what we produce is used for our own consumption.

• Heat emissions/cooling water

OKG uses approximately 55 m3/s of cooling water for O3. This water cools the process water and is simultaneously heated by about 10 degrees before being discharged into Hamnefjärden. The cooling water is taken in via a deep water intake, which means that the water that cools the process is taken from the bottom about 600 meters southeast of Simpevarp. Since it is taken from the bottom, it is significantly colder than the surface water, and colder water in turn leads to colder water out into Hamnefjärden.