Sweden will begin construction a new NPP before the next legislative election in 2026, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in an interview with Dagens Nyheter. The government said in November 2023 that it aimed to increase nuclear power generation equivalent to two reactors by 2035, with a “massive expansion” to follow by 2045.
Dagens Nyheter noted that a model for financing has been developed “which, among other things, means that the state subsidises nuclear power by stepping in as a guarantor for several hundred billion kroner”. Kristersson was asked if he was a “technology optimist”, to which he replied: “Basically, yes. New technology solves problems, creates export income and builds new businesses.”
He was then asked: “Why are you then prepared to risk many hundreds of billions of government money on a technology from the 1950s?” He replied: “It is clear that atomic fission itself follows the laws of physics and generates electricity. But it is also clear that modern nuclear power contains very advanced technology. Much of the technology development we have will require a lot of electricity, not least in climate change. Therefore, there are good reasons to have very stable electricity.”
As to whether technological progress could provide other solutions that work as well as nuclear power or better, he noted: “That a lot of technical things will happen is obvious, but we don’t know what it will be yet. It would be downright imprudent to then say that we do nothing. That we just hope that something else will arise that means we don’t have to think about stable base power for electricity production in Sweden. Energy systems are part of the state’s fundamental infrastructural issues. Much like railways and roads and education systems. You can’t just leave it and hope it works.”
He confirmed that construction of a plant will begin before the next election. “The decisions required to build new nuclear power must be in place. Then it may be combined with a physical shovel. “We are completely dedicated. If we are to cope with electrification, we have to cope with a doubling of electricity production, and then nuclear power is an inalienable part.”
On subsidies he commented: “For a long time, we have used very large subsidies to get started with wind power. What is proposed for nuclear power is not a subsidy in the usual sense. It is a risk-sharing model where long-term rules of the game are created for very large investments. We would never have started the previous nuclear power programme if the state had not been involved.”
Researched and written by Judith Perera
