15 Jun (NucNet): A Swedish political alliance has promised that if it wins September’s general election and forms a coalition government it will not phase out nuclear power plants for political reasons.
The Alliance for Sweden, which is made up of the country’s four main opposition parties – the Centre, Conservative, Liberal and Christian Democratic parties – said in a statement on 14 June 2006 that it had agreed on an energy policy that includes a cross-party position on nuclear.
The Alliance said it would not allow nuclear plants to be phased out for political reasons, but would also not allow any new nuclear build for the next four years.
The minority Social Democratic government now in power has said it is committed to phasing out nuclear and has shut down two 600-megawatt reactor units at the country’s Barsebäck nuclear plant, a move supported by the Centre Party. But so far the Social Democrats have not made any announcement regarding energy policy if they win a new term.
The Alliance said it would not allow Barsebäck to resume operation, but would allow power uprates at existing nuclear units. It would also allow all kinds of research and development into nuclear energy.
Finding common ground on nuclear energy had been a problem for the Alliance. But in 2005 the Centre Party softened its opposition to nuclear when party leader Maud Olofsson said it was right to “let the industry decide” the future of nuclear energy.
The two political blocs are running close in opinion polls and the Alliance’s energy policy agreement is being seen as important for its chances.
Sweden voted in a 1980 referendum not to build any new nuclear units and to phase out existing units, provided it could be done without damaging the economy. Later the same year, parliament decided nuclear power should be phased out by 2010.
Sweden has 10 nuclear units in commercial operation. In November 1999 Barsebäck-1 was shut under a cash and shares compensation deal with owners Sydkraft. Barsebäck-2 was shut down in May 2005 with the Swedish government paying the equivalent of 700 million US dollars (about 550 million euros) in compensation.
However, opinion polls have found that the Swedish population is strongly supportive of the use of nuclear power as an energy source. According to one poll, more than 80% of respondents either wanted to keep the country’s operational reactor units or replace them with new ones.
