Swedish government wants to step up use of nuclear power

The Swedish government wants to step up its use of nuclear power through 2045 as a key building block on the way to a more climate-friendly future, Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari said on Wednesday in Stockholm.

The move to greener energy requires a doubling of electricity production, and nuclear power must account for a large proportion of this increase, she asserted.

By 2045, Sweden will need nuclear power that is at least equivalent to the output of 10 new conventional reactors, she explained.

The government is working at full speed to remove the hurdles that have so far stood in the way of new nuclear power plants in the country.

Three nuclear power plants with a total of six reactors are currently in operation in Sweden. Together they make up about 30% of Sweden's electricity generation.

Before taking office in autumn 2022, the conservative government and its right-wing populist support party, the Sweden Democrats, had agreed to expand nuclear power.

Legally, however, environmental laws have so far stipulated that a maximum of 10 nuclear reactors may be in operation in Sweden at the same time and that no new reactors may be built outside of the existing facilities at Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals.

This stands in the way of a modern view of nuclear energy, Pourmokhtari said.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced at the beginning of the year that he wanted to allow the construction of new nuclear power plants at more locations.

In the autumn, Kristersson's government wants to present a roadmap for the strong expansion of nuclear power, Pourmokhtari said.