Energy giant Uniper will not build any power plants in Sweden, the company that will be wholly owned by the German state from next year announced Thursday, flouting plans of its Swedish subsidiary Barsebäck Kraft to build a Clean Energy Park.
No new nuclear power plant will be built in Sweden by the German energy company Uniper, Sveriges Radios Ekot reported on Thursday.
“Neither in Sweden nor elsewhere does Uniper have any plans to build a new nuclear power plant, that’s a fact”, spokesman George Oppermann told the radio.
Uniper is part owner of all three active nuclear power plants in Sweden, Oskarshamn, Ringhals and Forsmark. It is also the owner of the Barsebäck powerplant, which is being dismantled.
Recently, Åsa Carlson, CEO of Barsebäck Kraft, a subsidiary of Uniper, expressed her hope for a new energy park in the Barsebäck area that could include nuclear power in the first half of the 2030s. But the German company reiterated that this was not on the cards.
From the start of next year, Uniper will be taken over by the German state, who decided to close all remaining nuclear power plants in the country from April next year.
“If the German government wants otherwise, it can say so when it takes over, but I am not aware of any changes”, Oppermann told Ekot.
“The federal government is currently working on implementing the Uniper package. Only after the transfer of the shares can a decision be made on how to deal with assets,” a spokesperson of the German Economy and Climate Ministry contacted by EURACTIV said.
With the war in Ukraine, Sweden is experiencing soaring energy prices in the South of the country, mainly due to the increased demand of neighbouring Germany, which has decided to shift away from Russian gas.
Asked to comment on the situation, Swedish Energy and Business Minister Ebba Busch’s press secretary briefly told the press that “the government is working to create conditions for new nuclear power and will have a dialogue with actors who have shown interest ».
The three parties making up Sweden’s new ruling right-wing coalition, as well as the supporting far-right Democrats of Sweden, signed a pro-nuclear coalition accord, promising 400 billion SEK (€36 billion) for new nuclear power, with Vattenfall to immediately start planning new nuclear power at Ringhals and other sites.
Nikolaus Kurmayer contributed to reporting.
Source: euractiv.com
