Stockholm, Mar 10 (IANS): A damaged nuclear reactor in Sweden that was due to be restarted in mid-March has been hit by yet more delays, a local news agency reported.

Ringhals 4 was originally scheduled to be relaunched November 2022, following repairs of a pressure vessel that was damaged in August. The restart date was first pushed back to January, then to February 24 and March 19, but the reactor will now not be operational until March 23, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report by TT news agency.

"The repair of the pressure vessel is complete," said Anna Collin, press manager at Ringhals, adding that the return to full production is expected to happen a few days after March 19.

Ringhals said earlier that acquiring the tools necessary for the repairs had taken longer than expected.

The delay may mean that the price of electricity, which has reached record levels in the past year, remains volatile, given also the recent cold weather.

Nuclear power accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the electricity produced in Sweden, according to the Swedish Radiation Safety Agency.

Following the decommissioning of four reactors between 2017 and 2020, six reactors currently remain at three sites.