20 years after landmark vote, Sweden shuts down a nuclear reactor STOCKHOLM, Nov 30 (AFP) - Sweden closed a nuclear reactor at a key plant Tuesday, making good on a 20-year-old decision to phase out nuclear power despite renewed support for use of the controversial energy. ..... The plant's owner, private energy supplier Sydkraft, has repeatedly appealed orders to close the plant, arguing that a nuclear phase-out should start with closure of facilities run by its state-owned competitor. Sydkraft claimed that the choice of Barsebaeck as the first plant for dismantling violated European Union competition regulations and gave state-owned Vattenfall an unfair advantage. But the closure went ahead as scheduled after Sydkraft, Vattenfall and the government reached an 11-hour agreement Monday worth around 670 million dollars. .... Despite the Barsebaeck reactor closure, around one dozen other reactors at four nuclear power plants across Sweden remain in operation and supply more than half the country's electricity. Critics of the phase-out plans, including trade unions and environmental activists, say Sweden has no viable alternative to nuclear power and closing plants will cost many jobs. Energy deregulation in Europe has caused electricity prices to fall, strengthening arguments for keeping nuclear plants opens. http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/afp/article.html?s=asia/headlines/991130/world/afp/20_years_after_landmark_vote__Sweden_shuts_down_a_nuclear_reactor.html