Nuclear power struggles to compete
The work pertaining to the decision on replacement reactors at Ringhals nuclear power plant in Sweden continues but, according to Tomas Kåberger, Professor at Chalmers, new nuclear power plants cannot be built without substantial subsidies.
Kåberger uses the Fukushima disaster as an illustration of how the prohibitive expense of managing accidents exceeds the resources of energy companies. Instead, this becomes a cost for tax payers.
In Tomas Kåberger’s opinion, it is also unlikely that new nuclear power plants will be built in Sweden, once the government has opened the possibility.
“Currently, there are two reference objects. One is the Finnish attempt to construct a fifth reactor. It has become extremely delayed and more expensive, the electricity it generates will cost about SEK 1 per kWh instead of SEK 0.25 as believed when the decision was taken,” he says to SVT (Sweden’s public service television network).
The other is the plans for nuclear power in the UK, where the UK government has promised the Sino-French consortium that was involved in the construction plans for the nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point, about SEK 1 per kWh from 2023 to 2048.
“This is extremely expensive compared to the current price of renewable energy.”