While the UK is to build a nuclear plant at Hinkley Point, Sweden has started dismantling one.

US Westinghouse Electric Company will segment the reactor pressure vessel at the Barsebäck Nuclear Power Station in the south of Sweden.

It has two reactors with a capacity of 600MW each, which were closed in 1999 and 2005.

The works aim to reduce the amount of remaining radioactivity in the plant since its operation stopped and facilitate safe dismantling of other components.

The project is expected to take around four years to complete, the company stated.

Aziz Dag, Westinghouse Vice President and Managing Director, Northern Europe said: “This is a strategically important contract for Westinghouse. We are pleased to have this opportunity to serve our customers in the last phase of the nuclear power plant life cycle.”