A new public opinion poll indicates a continued rise in the support for the use of nuclear energy in Sweden over the past two years.
According to the poll, the average level of support has been on the rise between November 2003 and March 2005. Overall the poll results are consistent with those of a previous poll from October 2004 which, like the latest poll, was also conducted by Swedish polling organisation TEMO on behalf of the country’s Nuclear Training and Safety Centre (KSU) [see News in Brief No. 47, 2nd November 2004].
KSU said the results of the new poll, involving telephone interviews with 1,027 Swedes between 28th February and 3rd March 2005, “show a clear majority for nuclear power as an energy source”. A minority of poll respondents (13%) supports the early closure of Sweden’s 11 operational nuclear power units. More than four out of five of respondents (83%) want to maintain the operation of those units or replace them with new ones.
Specifically, 34% of respondents want to maintain the current units as long as they continue to meet the safety demands of the Swedish authorities; 30% said it is acceptable to replace older units shut down because of reasons of safety with new units; 19% favour expanding the use of nuclear and building additional units; 13% favour a quick phase-out of nuclear energy; and 4% are undecided.
On choosing among environmental priorities, 82% of respondents said Sweden’s priority should be preventing an increase in greenhouse gas emissions; 11% said it should be the protection of the country’s remaining undeveloped rivers against hydroelectric power development; 4% said it should be the phase-out of nuclear power; while 3% were undecided.
The latest poll and the overall positive opinion toward the use of nuclear energy comes some 25 years after a national referendum favoured its phase-out in Sweden. It also follows all four Swedish nuclear plants reporting record production figures for 2004 [see News No. 15, 24th January 2005] and confirmation by the Swedish government that electricity generation at unit two of the Barsebaeck nuclear power plant must end by 31st May 2005 [see News No. 217, 17th December 2004].
