Sweden is moving forward with plans for a nuclear-powered future after breaking ground on a final storage site for spent nuclear fuel.
The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) got started last week on a spent fuel repository (SFR) near the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant. Once complete, the repository will be the second-of-its-kind spent fuel site, able to store highly radioactive waste for up to 100,000 years.
- The SFR at Forsmark will store spent nuclear fuel in copper canisters placed in tunnels deep underground.
- A bentonite clay buffer will eventually enclose the repository to contain the radioactivity.
- The repository will be able to store 12,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel—more than enough to meet Sweden’s projected nuclear energy demands for the coming decades.
The facility is set to accept its first waste by 2035, though it won’t be fully completed until ~2080, when the tunnels are backfilled and closed.
Goodbye, fossil fuels: The repository is a significant step toward addressing Sweden’s ambitious goal of a fossil fuel-free future. In 2022, Swedish voters endorsed a shift in the national energy target from 100% renewable electricity by 2045 to fossil fuel-free electricity by 2045, opening the door to more nuclear power.
However, the private sector has slowed investments in nuclear energy due to the long project lifespans and the massive costs associated with startup operations.
The Swedish government stepped in to shoulder a large portion of these costs and appointed a commission to ensure the best outcomes for taxpayers. It also plans to streamline permitting processes to expedite buildouts.
- Sweden’s six nuclear reactors currently produce 3.3 GW of capacity, accounting for 30% of the country’s electricity supply.
- The government aims to add 2,500 MW of new nuclear power by 2035—equivalent to two new reactors—and plans to build 10 new reactors by 2045.
- The Nordic nation is set to begin construction of a new reactor in 2026.
- State-owned utility Vattenfall completed a feasibility study that suggested adding up to five SMRs at the Ringhals nuclear power station.
