Four Opposition Parties in Sweden Favor Nuclear Power

All four party leaders of the non socialist opposition in Sweden, including the Christian Deomocrats, Moderates and Liberals, which make up nearly half of the Swedish parliament, co-signed an op ed in Svenska Dagbladet (Feb.7), calling for the development of nuclear power. In light of skyrocketing electricity prices, and the expected doubling of consumption by 2045, they propose to redefine the current energy policy, which aims for producing 100% of the electricity needs with “renewable energies” to “fossil free energies” sources, of which nuclear power would be “a self-evident part”.

They further ask the authorities to set new rules for new Swedish nuclear power plants, to fast-track authorizations (certificates) for reactors, systems and components from other countries. They also call for a change in the law to permit the construction of more than ten reactors (the earlier maximum number) and to allow for smaller reactors. This promises to be a significant issue in the upcoming national elections to take place in September 2022.