A steel cable around one of the reactors at a controversial Czech nuclear power plant fingered by critics as a safety risk was found ruptured during a routine check on Tuesday, operator CEZ announced.
The flaw at one of the two reactors at the Soviet-designed Temelin plant is likely to fuel fresh protests over its safety.
CEZ said in a statement that the ruptured steel cord did not represent a hazard and that the reactor would have to be closed for repairs only if another one of the 36 cables was broken.
One of the reactors is currently not operational after a section was found to have high humidity levels at the start of this week.
In March, two leakages of mildly radioactive water fuelled concerns about the plant's safety. Much of the criticism comes from neighbouring Austria.
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and Austrian Chancellor Alfred Grusenbauer last month agreed to to set up an inter-parliamentary commission to try and sort out their long drawn spat over the plant.
Austrian anti-nuclear protesters have staged a series of cross-border protests. Temelin is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Czech-Austrian border.
In March, the head of the Czech Republic's nuclear power watchdog said the frequency of leaks at the Temelin plant was "unacceptable" after the leak of about 1,000 litres of mildly radioactive water.
Austria banned the use of nuclear energy in its constitution after a referendum in 1978.
Source: Agence France-Presse
