Swedish Nuclear Bill Passed by Parliament

Sweden's parliament has approved a bill that will clear the way for new nuclear power in the country by removing the current limit on the number of nuclear reactors in operation, as well as allowing reactors to be built on new sites. The amendment will enter into force on 1 January.

The Riksdag voted in favour of the government's legislative proposal on new nuclear power in Sweden on Wednesday.

"The legislative amendments will allow for new reactors to be constructed in locations other than Forsmark, Ringhals and Oskarshamn. In addition to this, it will be permitted for more than 10 reactors to be in operation at the same time," the Riksdag said.

"The Riksdag shares the Government’s assessment that fossil-free electricity from nuclear power will also continue to play a role of central importance in the Swedish energy mix. The main reasons for this are an expected greater demand for electricity in combination with the fact that fossil fuels have to be phased out, particularly for climate reasons. Nuclear power also contributes to the stable and predictable functioning of the Swedish power system."

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari formally presented a proposal to amend Sweden's legislation on nuclear power, which limited to 10 the number of reactors in operation and only allowed reactors to be built at existing sites. The proposed legislative amendments were open for consultation for three months.

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.