Sweden has turned to US scientists to help it pull off a shift to clean energy that will involve generating more nuclear power.
A new US-Sweden agreement opens the door for collaboration on nuclear physics, fusion and energy research.
It was symbolically signed at the site of Sweden’s first nuclear research reactor from the 1950s, known as R1, on Tuesday.
Sweden has not opened a nuclear plant since the 1980s but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has set his sights on building new reactors.
Parliament last week changed Sweden’s clean power target from “100 per cent renewable” to “100 per cent fossil-free”, a change of phrasing that allows for nuclear power to be included.
Ministers have moved to scrap a law that prevents new reactors from being built unless they are on the site of a previous one.
Sweden currently has six nuclear reactors that meet about 30 per cent of its electricity demand. The US has 92.
The agreement with the US provides for “scientific and technological co-operation” in areas including advanced computing, biological research and high-energy physics as well as nuclear issues, the Swedish government said.
It allows Swedish scientists to use or loan American equipment and vice versa.
“In the energy area, we need to collaborate with the best partners to identify and develop ways of addressing the growing need for clean and green energy production,” said Swedish Education Minister Mats Persson.
“This is why I’m very pleased that Sweden is now strengthening its energy research co-operation with the United States.”
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, who signed the deal for the US energy department, said Washington “looks forward to working closer with our Swedish colleagues”.
Atomic energy divides opinion among European countries.
Sweden is part of a “nuclear alliance” led by France that wants to put fission at the heart of the EU’s clean energy drive, emphasising its reliability and lack of carbon emissions.
Opponents such as Germany and Austria, who do not use nuclear on safety grounds, have lobbied against its inclusion in EU green energy plans, arguing it should not count as renewable.
Some countries including Sweden have shifted tack since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed a reliance on imported gas in much of Europe.
Belgium has extended the lifetime of its nuclear plants by 10 years to 2035, while Germany allowed its last three reactors to run for four extra months after a long-planned 2022 end date.
The Swedish government elected last autumn says nuclear power is needed to replace fossil fuels with a larger, “plannable” electricity supply.
