The Swedish government announced this Wednesday that it will lift the obstacles to the construction of new nuclear reactors, by modifying the legislation that regulates this matter, to satisfy the growing demand for electricity in the country. It will be necessary to “double the production of electricity” to succeed in the energy transition, explained at a press conference the Minister of the Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, for whom “nuclear energy will have to account for a large part of this increase.”
Specifically, Sweden will need the equivalent of ten new conventional nuclear reactors by 2045, according to estimates by the right-wing government. To achieve this, the latter has decided to undertake a reform that allows it to eliminate the current limit of a maximum of ten authorized nuclear reactors in the country, as well as the obligation to build new reactors where the old ones are located. The reform bill will be examined by parliament this autumn.
Sweden currently has six reactors in operation at three different power plants, commissioned in the decade of 1975-1985. Several other reactors have been closed since 1999 following a 1980 non-binding referendum in favor of phasing out nuclear power.
Possible association with France
But Sweden is struggling to find viable alternative energy sources to replace nuclear power, as renewables cannot yet fully meet its needs. Today, energy of nuclear origin represents 30% of the electricity used in the country. On Wednesday, the government also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in the “development of knowledge” and the “more efficient use of resources” in this area.
In January, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson spoke in Paris of a possible partnership with France for the construction of new nuclear reactors in Sweden. “I am completely open to France being one of the countries to ensure that Sweden has more nuclear power,” he said at the time.
Source: BFM TV
