Ringhals 2 (end-2019) and Ringhals 1 (end-2020) were closed early by owners Vattenfall and Uniper after a 2015 economic decision, while Ringhals 3 and 4 continue to run. Radiological dismantling started around 2022-23 with Westinghouse segmenting the vessels and internals, and is planned to last almost a decade, generating about 340,000 t of waste.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | Sweden |
| Location | Varberg, Halland |
| Site | Ringhals |
| Units | R1, R2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | BWR, PWR |
| Owner / licensee | Ringhals AB (Vattenfall) |
| Decommissioning contractor | Westinghouse (reactor components) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2020-12 |
| Decommissioning start | 2022 |
| Notable issue | 5-10% of 340,000 t of demolition waste expected to be radioactive. |
Notes
R1 is a BWR and R2 a PWR (general knowledge). Owner split not confirmed in the sources reviewed. Recent (2025-26) progress not found.
Timeline
- 2015 — Ringhals AB's owners decided to close R1 and R2 early. (source)
- 2019-12 — Ringhals 2 was permanently shut down. (source)
- 2020-12 — Ringhals 1 was permanently shut down. (source)
- 2021 — Vattenfall signed with Westinghouse to dismantle the radioactive components. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
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Related sites
- Barsebäck Nuclear Power Plant Active dismantling · Sweden
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Anläggningar under avveckling — Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Vattenfall signs decommissioning agreement for radioactive components at Ringhals 1 and Ringhals 2 — Vattenfall (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear power - Vattenfall — Vattenfall (primary), checked 2026-10-11