Vattenfall strengthens nuclear safety work

Vattenfall will create a new executive post for a Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) who will be the Group’s most senior controller in nuclear safety issues and the Executive Group Management’s nuclear expert. Vattenfall’s CNO will report directly to the President and CEO Lars G Josefsson. Recruitment to this position is going on. The nuclear companies will retain the full operative responsibility for running the nuclear power stations. Furthermore Vattenfall will institute a Group Nuclear Security Council chaired by the CEO and with the CNO reporting.

Vattenfall thereby follows the two chief recommendations in an independent in-depth analysis of the company’s nuclear safety work in Sweden by internationally renowned safety experts Magnus von Bonsdorff and Lars G Larsson. Vattenfall initiated the analysis after events at the Forsmark nuclear power plant last year revealed shortcomings in safety work and safety culture.

“As a consequence of what happened at Forsmark last year, Vattenfall’s Board of Directors has made nuclear safety issues its top priority in 2007. Safe operations, whether in our nuclear business or elsewhere, is at the top of my mind, and the Board sees with satisfaction that Vattenfall’s management has focused on these issues,” says the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dag Klackenberg.

Vattenfall’s President and CEO, Lars G. Josefsson, says that Vattenfall’s safety culture must be further reinforced and adds that he shares the conclusions and analysis of the report in this respect. With the new nuclear power expert (CNO) of the EGM, Vattenfall will start a work to restore a position as global benchmark for nuclear safety, which for Vattenfall is an obvious ambition.

“I am not satisfied with Vattenfall meeting international standards; we shall take the lead in jointly setting them,“ he says.

Vattenfall will also participate more actively in international nuclear organisations to ensure that the collective global experience is being utilized for the Group security work.

The entire report by Magnus von Bonsdorff and Lars G Larsson (Swedish only) can be downloaded at www.vattenfall.com.


For further information, please contact:
Dag Klackenberg, Chairman of the Board of Vattenfall AB, telephone: +46 (0)8-762 77 79.
Lars G Josefsson, President & CEO, Vattenfall AB, telephone: +46 (0)8-739 50 05.


From Vattenfall's Press Office, tel: +46 (0)8-739 50 10.