At the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Study Days in Stockholm, Tobias Andersson, Sweden Democrat MP and chairman of the Swedish Parliament’s Industry and Trade Committee, outlined Sweden’s ambitious return to nuclear energy leadership.
“What this current government together with the Sweden Democrats has done from day one is to get rid of the regulation and laws that have been limiting nuclear investments in Sweden,” Andersson stated. For decades, Swedish law restricted the country to a maximum of ten operational nuclear reactors across just three locations. “We got rid of the regulations that limited it,” he said.
The new reforms go even further, introducing a public-private risk-sharing framework for new nuclear projects. “We’re now having a state and industry risk sharing for new nuclear reactors… both a contract for difference in terms of electricity pricing and state-backed credits to cover early-stage capital risk,” Andersson explained. From August 1st, companies will be able to access permits and subsidies under EU rules.
The strategic goal is clear: to ensure reliable and sustainable energy for the future. “Nuclear has the benefit of bringing base load into the Swedish system which is something that we desperately need,” Andersson said, pointing to Sweden’s current power shortages due to overreliance on intermittent renewables.
Andersson was confident that Sweden’s bold steps will have ripple effects across the EU. “We’re seeing what I have been describing as a renaissance for nuclear power,” he said. He cited active nuclear development projects in Poland, Britain, France, and the Czech Republic, as well as increased private nuclear investments in the United States.
“Sweden wants to be a lead in that, as we were when we built nuclear decades ago here in Sweden,” Andersson concluded.