Sweden wants to expand its nuclear power production capacity
Sweden’s government is proposing changes to current legislation to allow the construction and operation of more nuclear reactors as it looks to strengthen its energy security, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday.
“We are now changing the legislation so that it becomes possible to build more reactors in more places than is possible today,” says Kristersson. said.
Any changes to the current legislation, which limits the number of reactors to ten and does not allow new sites for nuclear reactors, must be adopted by Sweden’s Riksdag.
Expanding nuclear power generation was a key campaign goal for Kristersson last year, and he has said Sweden’s goal of “100% renewable” electricity generation would be changed to “100% fossil-free” power generation.
Sweden currently has three nuclear power plants six reactors in operation in total, while nuclear power accounts for about a third of its electricity.
A further 43% of Sweden’s electricity comes from hydropower, 16% from wind power and around 9% of electricity production comes from combined heat and power plants (CHP) which are mainly powered by biofuels.
Sweden is a leader within the EU in renewable power production. In 2021, approximately 60% of Sweden’s electricity production came from renewable sources.
Although Sweden has been much less affected by the turmoil in energy markets since the Russian invasion of Ukraine than many other EU countries, many Western allies of the US and the EU have increased efforts to ensure energy security and are less dependent on energy commodities.
Even Japan is bringing back nuclear power as a major energy source, trying to protect its energy security in the crisis that has led to rising fossil fuel prices. The Japanese government confirmed in December a new policy on nuclear energy, which the country had largely abandoned since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
An expert panel under the Japanese Ministry of Industry decided that Japan should allow the development of new nuclear reactors and allow existing reactors to operate beyond the current limit of 60 years.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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