Sweden plans 'massive' expansion of nuclear energy

17 November 2023

The Swedish government unveils a roadmap which envisages 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.

The roadmap was presented by (from left) Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson, Labour Market and Integration Minister Johan Pehrson, Energy and Business Minister Ebba Busch and the chairman of the Business Committee Tobias Andersson (Image: regeringen.se)

In October last year, Sweden's incoming centre-right coalition government adopted a positive stance towards nuclear energy, with the Christian Democrats, the Liberals, the Moderates and the Sweden Democrats releasing their written agreement on policies - referred to as the Tidö Agreement. With regards to energy, the agreement said the energy policy goal is "changed from 100% renewable to 100% fossil-free". In the Tidö Agreement, it is assumed electricity demand of at least 300 TWh in 2045, double the current demand.

The agreement also said necessary regulations should be developed to create the conditions for the construction and operation of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Sweden. In addition, the permitting process for nuclear power plants must be shortened.

In January this year, a formal proposal to amend Sweden's legislation on nuclear power was presented by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari. It aims to remove the current law limiting to 10 the number of reactors in operation, as well as allowing reactors to be built on new sites, rather than just existing ones. The proposed legislative amendments were open for consultation for three months. The government made a final decision on 28 September to introduce the bill to parliament. The changes to the law are proposed to enter into force on 1 January 2024.

The government has now presented a roadmap for new nuclear power in Sweden, which it says "clarifies the government's target and provides long-term conditions for new nuclear power".

The roadmap includes an in-depth agreement on four points.

Firstly, it calls for the government to appoint a nuclear power coordinator who will support the work of removing obstacles, facilitating and promoting new nuclear power. In addition, the coordinator will identify the need for additional measures. An important role for the coordinator will be to gather all relevant parties to get a clear direction for effective expansion.

Secondly, the state's financial responsibility needs to be clarified through a risk-sharing model. The government has previously proposed that government credit guarantees for SEK400 billion (USD38 billion) be introduced for nuclear power. However, the government has assessed that these credit guarantees alone will not be enough to stimulate new production. In order to strengthen the conditions and provide additional incentives to invest in nuclear power, an investigator must propose a risk-sharing and financing model where the state shares the risk.

The government has instructed the National Debt Office to take preparatory measures to be able to issue government credit guarantees for investments in new nuclear power. The National Debt Office must assist the Ministry of Climate and Business in the work of designing the detailed regulations for the credit guarantees. As part of the assignment, the National Debt Office must make an assessment of how credit guarantees for investments in new nuclear power affect the risk in the combined guarantee portfolio.

Thirdly, the new policy will make it possible for new nuclear power with a total output of at least 2500 MWe to be brought online by 2035 at the latest.

Fourthly, it paves the way for a "massive expansion of new nuclear power by 2045". "Given the long-term needs for fossil-free electricity until 2045, an expansion is needed that could, for example, correspond to ten new large-scale reactors," the government said. It noted that the exact amount and type of reactors needed "depends on several things, including the need and rate of expansion in the electricity system, technological development, and where in the country new consumption and production are located".

"We are now delivering a pearl string of decisions to pave the way for new nuclear power," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch. "Sweden is laying the foundations to become a leading nuclear power nation again and a power factor for the green transition in the West."

Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson added: "New nuclear power is necessary for a stable and reliable energy system, for both consumers and businesses. It is therefore natural that the state will have to take a large financial role in terms of the expansion. The last few years have shown how expensive it is not to build nuclear power."

Studsvik, Fortum study prospects for new nuclear at Nyköping

17 November 2023

Swedish nuclear technical services provider Studsvik has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Finnish utility Fortum to explore the conditions for new nuclear at the Studsvik industrial site near Nyköping in Sweden.

The Nyköping site (Image: Studsvik)

The MoU is part of Fortum's nuclear feasibility study launched in October 2022. During the two-year programme, Fortum will explore commercial, technological, and societal, including political, legal, and regulatory conditions both for small modular reactors (SMRs) and conventional large reactors in Finland and Sweden. The study also investigates new partnerships and business models.

The agreement with Studsvik initiates a process with the aim of assessing the potential to construct new nuclear at the Nyköping site. In the first phase, the goal is to identify potential business models and technical solutions for further development.

Studsvik has previously said its Nyköping site is in a strategic location and houses the company's broad expertise in nuclear technology, including fuel and materials technology, reactor analysis software and fuel optimisation, decommissioning and radiation protection services as well as technical solutions for handling, conditioning and volume reduction of radioactive waste.

"In the long-term, there is a possibility for new nuclear power on the Studsvik site, either in the form of commercial reactors, research reactors or a combination of both," Studsvik said. "In that case, Studsvik's role will be to make land available and contribute with its expertise in various areas - not to build or operate nuclear power plants on its own."

"Studsvik is positive to new nuclear as a part of the green transition, since it constitutes fossil-free, efficient, and plannable electricity production," said Studsvik President and CEO Camilla Hoflund. "We welcome Fortum as a partner to investigate the possibility of establishing new nuclear on the Studsvik site, which is a classic nuclear area with an infrastructure already adapted to nuclear operations."

Fortum said the agreement "supports its strategic priorities to deliver reliable and clean energy and to drive decarbonisation in industries by providing clean energy and CO2-free solutions to its customers".

"A lot of new electricity generation will be needed across the Nordics to meet future electricity demand in our societies and industries," said Laurent Leveugle, Vice President, New Nuclear at Fortum. "I am very satisfied as this agreement shows our ambition to support Sweden's green transition in the long-term."

The MoU between Studsvik and Fortum will run in parallel with earlier announced agreements with Kärnfull Next and Blykalla (formerly known as LeadCold).

In August, Studsvik signed an MoU with Swedish SMR project development company Kärnfull Next, which is investigating the possibility of constructing and operating SMRs at Nyköping. In March 2022, Kärnfull Next signed an MoU with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on the deployment of the BWRX-300 in Sweden.

Under an agreement signed in March, Swedish lead-cooled SMR technology developer Blykalla is to conduct a feasibility study on the construction and operation of a demonstration SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) with associated infrastructure for fuel fabrication in Nyköping.

In addition to the MoU with Studsvik, Fortum has signed cooperation agreements with Westinghouse, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Rolls-Royce SMR, EDF, Kärnfull Next as well as Finland's Outokumpu and Helen Energy.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News