MODULE 4: Leadership in Nuclear, Vattenfall, Ringhals
12 May 2025 at 14:18 EEST
In April, we the Nuclear Heroes gathered in the picturesque town of Varberg, Sweden, for a comprehensive three-day training module on Leadership in Nuclear, hosted by Vattenfall. This training module was designed to teach participants the skills and knowledge necessary to lead effectively in the dynamic and highly specialized field of nuclear energy, with an emphasis on working in a group with diverse driving motives. In the following chapters I will give a summary of our days during the module.
Day 1, travelling
Our training adventure began with a flight to Gothenburg, where we enjoyed lunch before catching a train to Varberg. Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel and reconnected with fellow trainees from Fortum, TVO, Vattenfall, and Uniper. The evening was spent catching up, sharing stories, and enjoying dinner together, setting a friendly and collaborative tone for the days ahead.
Day 2, Nuclear Decommissioning and Site visit
Our first full day of training focused on the Ringhals Decommissioning program. We learned about the complexities of planning decommissioning and waste management. The highlight was a site visit to the plant under decommissioning at Ringhals. We toured the turbine hall, where a local guide explained the plant's operations and upcoming demolition tasks.
After training, we headed back to the hotel. The evening included a mix of activities: work, spa relaxation, running, and fun team-building "Olympics," which our team won. We ended the day with a delicious dinner.
Day 3, Control Room simulator, New tech and SDI’s
Our final day of training was packed with interactive and innovative activities. We started with control room simulator exercises that showed how control rooms work during different scenarios. We also explored VR and AI use cases in the nuclear industry.
The day concluded with a session on SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory) and team reflection. We discussed our personality strengths and drivers, and how they impact our work. This reflection helped us understand ourselves and our teammates better, making the upcoming leadership activity more interesting.
Day 4, Nuclear power plant leadership simulation
Our final day was dedicated to the Nuclear Power Strategy building simulation game, called Fermi. As teams, our main objective was to create an operating strategy for a power plant, with choices to upgrade, optimize, or maintain various aspects. The game included different projects to undertake and surprising events that tested the resilience of our strategies. This simulation highlighted the uncertainties involved in long-term planning and was an all-day event.
Throughout the day, we also heard real-life examples of unexpected events in the nuclear industry, which added valuable context to the simulation. After a long day of strategic planning, which our team won together, we traveled by bus back to Gothenburg for our last dinner together. We said our goodbyes and looked forward to our next meeting. We also managed to organize a special taskforce to get some farewell surprise gifts, which were highly appreciated. Next morning the Finnish participants had an early flight back to Finland.
Veeti Auvinen
NNTP 24-25
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