On 20 August a fault in one of the generators at the Ringhals 3 nuclear power plant in Germany resulted in smoke build-up and led to an immediate shutdown of the turbine. Ringhals’ own fire brigade and external fire brigades were sent for, but as things turned out they did not have to intervene.
Ringhals 3 can still produce electricity at half capacity, since each reactor has two turbine units with generators.
“Neither employees nor the surroundings have been in danger”, said Torsten Bohl, nuclear power communications officer at Vattenfall Nordic. “There was some smoke coming from one of the generators, but there has not been any fire. The generator is placed in the turbine building, which is separated from the reactor by metre-thick concrete walls. Until the generator in question has been opened and the damages assessed, an estimate as to how long the repair will take cannot be given.”