France could soon build several nuclear reactors in Sweden, according to a letter of intent signed by the two countries’ energy ministers on the sidelines of the EU’s Energy Council on Tuesday (19 December).

The agreement comes after French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson signed a joint declaration in January to give nuclear energy a prominent place in bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

On the domestic front, the French government has decided to build six new reactors by 2035 and a possible eight more by 2050, while Sweden also has plans to revive its nuclear industry.

Sweden’s new right-wing government has managed, by a very narrow majority in parliament, to give the go-ahead for the construction of two new reactors by 2035 and 10 more by 2045.

To achieve this, Sweden is counting in particular on “the benefit of sharing expertise between the French and Swedish stakeholders in the field of nuclear energy”, according to a letter of intent signed on Tuesday by French Ecological Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and her Swedish counterpart Ebba Busch.

The letter notes “French industry’s interest in submitting an offer for French nuclear power reactors in Sweden”.

“EDF is actively engaged in discussions with its [Swedish] counterpart Vattenfall concerning the future phases of the Swedish nuclear programme and the associated selection process,” a spokesperson for the French nuclear operator EDF told Euractiv.

“EDF has all the assets to propose suitable solutions as part of its development strategy for new nuclear power in Europe, encompassing both a high-power technology offering with its family of EPR and EPR1200 reactors, and a low-power technology offering with its small modular NUWARD SMR reactor,” it continued.

To prepare for the development of new reactors, France and Sweden “will endeavour to facilitate technical exchanges for the participation of their industry in support of reactor maintenance, life extension and power upgrades of the reactors”, the letter adds.

The two countries also aim to promote “exchanges of experience on possible financing models for the construction of new nuclear reactors” within the European regulatory and financial framework.

The partnership also covers the fuel cycle, improving security of supply and the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste; research and development, in particular, the development of research centres; and human resources in the nuclear sector by facilitating the exchange of experience.

Source: Euractiv.com