The application was formally handed over to the Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman on Friday. Studsvik, which acquired Kärnfull Next and its ReFirm programme earlier this year, is developing potential small modular reactor (SMR) projects in southern Sweden, with options at Valdemarsvik and Nyköping forming the basis of the application.
The ReFirm programme is focused on light-water SMR technology, with plans for multiple units at "SMR parks". Its plan is for the first unit to be commissioned during the second half of the 2030s.
Development and permitting processes are under way and Studsvik says its plans retain "flexibility ahead of a later project selection as local, technical, regulatory and commercial conditions mature. The aim is to enable up to approximately 1,400 MWe of new fossil-free baseload capacity through multiple light-water small modular reactor units".
The Ministry of Finance said the application for Nyköping was for the establishment of two to four modular light-water reactors with a total electrical output of approximately 600-1,400 MW. The Valdemarsvik project application is for four to six SMRs with total output of 1,200-1,600 MW. It said Studsvik is expected to decide at a later stage which of the two projects to proceed with.
It is the third application for state aid for new nuclear power capacity that the government has received. In December 2025, Videberg Kraft applied to build reactors on the Värö Peninsula outside Varberg. Earlier in June 2026, the company Blykalla applied for a project at Norrsundet outside Gävle.
Karl Thedéen, president and CEO of Studsvik AB, said: "With this application, Studsvik is taking a major step towards privately led nuclear new build at meaningful scale, based on proven reactor technology and anchored in Swedish nuclear competence."
Finance minister Wykman said: "It is clear that Swedish industrial companies want to be involved in building the fossil-free base power Sweden needs."
The Ministry said that receiving an application means work can begin on making a decision on providing state support. This includes negotiations between the government and the company on the terms and scope of the support as well as ongoing dialogue with the European Commission to ensure that any support is compatible with the European Union's state aid rules.
Background
In October 2022, Sweden's incoming centre-right coalition government adopted a positive stance towards nuclear energy. In November 2023, it unveiled a roadmap which envisages the construction of new nuclear generating capacity equivalent to at least two large-scale reactors by 2035, with the equivalent capacity of up to 10 new large-scale reactors (which may include small modular reactors) coming online by 2045. A new act on state aid entered into force on 1 August 2025, since when interested companies have been able to apply for the aid.
The Swedish government received the first such application in December to support proposals for either five GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors or three Rolls-Royce SMRs to provide about 1,500 MW capacity at Ringhals on the Värö Peninsula. The application came from Videberg Kraft AB, a project company owned by Vattenfall AB and backed by a series of industrial firms via the Industrikraft i Sverige AB consortium.
Last week Blykalla submitted an application for government financing for its planned power plant in Norrsundet, Gävle, in east central Sweden, comprising six SEALER reactors, which will have a total generating capacity of up to 330 MWe.
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