The Swedish Riksdag (parliament) has voted in favour of government legislative easing restrictions on new nuclear construction. The legislative amendments will allow new reactors to be built at sites other than the existing Forsmark, Ringhals and Oskarshamn NPPs. It also allows more than ten reactors to be in operation at the same time.
The Riksdag accepted the government’s view that fossil-free electricity from nuclear power should continue to play a central role in Sweden’s energy mix. An increasing demand for electricity and pressure to phase out fossil fuels supported the decision. In addition, nuclear plants enable the stable and predictable functioning of the Swedish power system. The amendments will come into force on 1 January 2024.
The legislation was presented to parliament by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Climate & Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtar. The Swedish government recently unveiled a roadmap envisaging the construction of new nuclear generating capacity equivalent to at least two large-scale reactors by 2035, with up to ten new large-scale reactors coming online by 2045.
Image: The Riksdag building in Stockholm
