Sweden proposes steps to facilitate new nuclear projects

The proposals were announced in a press conference by Minister of Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari, Minister of Energy and Enterprise Ebba Busch, Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman, and Tobias Andersson, chairman of the business committee, Sweden Democrats.

The government said it has decided to submit a proposal to the Legislative Council for a more effective review of nuclear facilities. A new law is proposed that enables an earlier position on new nuclear facilities from the government and affected municipalities compared with the current system. This, it said, means risks can thus be managed earlier in the projects, creating stability and predictability, which is crucial for the willingness to invest. However, the government said its existing permissibility assessment under the Environmental Code will remain in place for those who do not wish to use the new law.

The government has also proposed that it should be possible to obtain a binding advance decision on technical issues in order to streamline the permit review process. This means that those who intend to apply for a permit can find out at an early stage whether a technical solution meets the necessary requirements. The government is also implementing changes that will enable the restart of shut-down reactors.

The government has decided to submit a legislative proposal for amendments to the Environmental Code that would allow for new nuclear power in more locations along the coast. The amendment would remove the prohibitions that prevent the assessment of new nuclear power in locations that could be suitable, it said. The current bans and restrictions exclude locations that could be suitable for new nuclear power without a case-by-case assessment. The proposed amendments replace the bans with a case-by-case assessment, which means that the protection of natural and cultural values ​​can be maintained. It noted that the amendments do not affect the permit assessment of nuclear facilities in general, meaning that a review in the individual case will continue to be required before a nuclear facility can be built.

The amendments - proposed to enter into force on 15 July this year - mean that the ban on nuclear facilities in the coastal areas and archipelagos in Bohuslän from the border with Norway to Brofjorden, in Småland and Östergötland from Simpevarp to Arkösund and in Ångermanland from Storfjärden at the mouth of the Ångermanälven to Skagsudde and on Öland is lifted. The proposed amendments also mean that the ban on nuclear facilities in the coastal areas and archipelagos from Brofjorden to Simpevarp and from Arkösund to Forsmark, along the Gotland coast, on Östergarn and Storsudret on Gotland and on Fårö in places other than where certain industrial and similar facilities already exist is lifted.

The government has also proposed that SEK20 million (USD2.2 million) will be allocated annually until 2030 by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to municipalities that want to conduct feasibility studies for new nuclear power. It had previously decided on a total of SEK15 million to municipalities during the years 2024 and 2025. The purpose of the grant, it said, is to prepare for, and shorten, the review periods for the permit processes for the establishment of new nuclear power.

It noted that 13 municipalities conducted pilot projects during 2024-2025, including preliminary studies on possible location, the municipality's role in the planning process, skills requirements and establishing of new nuclear power.

"We are now opening up for more players, both old and new, large and small, to be able to invest in new nuclear power in more locations around the country," Minister Pourmokhtari said.

Minister Busch added: "Swedish energy has got a new start. With today's decision, we are creating better conditions for new nuclear power. It provides simpler permit processes and enables more nuclear power in more places."

"The proposals create an opportunity for nuclear power in more places in Sweden while maintaining the protection of nature," said Minister Wykman. "It creates conditions for more companies to invest in new nuclear power. With increased competition, we can keep investment costs down and that is good for taxpayers."

"Municipalities have an important role in permitting new nuclear power," Andersson said. "Now they are once again given the opportunity to apply for grants to carry out feasibility studies that help enable efficient planning and permitting processes and thereby bring them closer to a decision on the establishment of nuclear facilities."

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 up to 10 new large-scale 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.