Sweden's Nuclear Future Frozen

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Plans to construct a new nuclear power plant in Sweden have ground to halt according to state-owned energy giant Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden) and the country's nuclear power regulator the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM).

They have confirmed that work has stopped on proposals for a new nuclear power plant in line with the policies of new minority-led government which wants nuclear power phased out and replaced with renewables.

"Both SSM and Vattenfall have stopped working on the request (to build a new nuclear power station), although Vattenfall hasn't officially withdrawn the request," explained David Persson, press official at the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority to Recharge. Vattenfall confirmed that work on replacing its older nuclear fleet with new plants is on hold.

Sweden has three nuclear power plants, with a total of 10 reactors, that supply about 40% of the country's electricity. Commissioned in the 1970s and 1980s, the oldest reactors are scheduled for closure in the coming decade. The first four reactors in line for closure by the new government have had their lives extended beyond their 40 years already. They are Oskarshamn Units 1 and 2 and Ringhals Units 1 and 2, which the new government want shut by 2018. Vattenfall had hoped to build a new plant at Ringhals.

Last September, the country's Social Democrat and Green parties, joined to make up the new government. A new energy policy called for the closure of four of the oldest reactors by 2018. The policy represented a u-turn on nuclear power as the previous coalition government had supported plans to build new reactors to replace reactors in line for decommissioning.

Sweden's love-hate relationship with nuclear power has been exacerbated in recent years by the events at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Tokyo, Japan, in March 2011. Since then Germany, Italy and Switzerland have opted to phase out nuclear power and France, the largest nuclear nation in Europe, has pledged to reduce its reliance on nuclear power for electricity. Last October, French politicians voted to cut the country's reliance from 75% to 50% within the next 10 years. For additional information, see October 16, 2014, article - France to Cut Nuclear Reliance to 50%.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.