Denmark may end 40-year nuclear ban for power mix

Irish Independent

16-05-2025

The government will start an analysis of the benefits, risks and potential of using nuclear reactors to supplement the dominant wind and solar energy in Denmark, Lars Aagaard said in parliament this week.
He responded to several lawmakers questioning future energy demands following a report earlier in the week by local newspaper Politiken revealing the government's plans.
'We all know that of course we can't have an electricity system based on solar and wind alone – there has to be something else to support it,' he said.
'In case it is decided to lift the ban, what will that require of Danish society? We need to have that overview.'
At stake is Denmark's plan to become carbon neutral by 2045 while managing a rapidly growing demand for electricity.
The country currently gets about 80pc of its energy from renewable sources that also include biomass. At the same time, the wind energy sector is struggling, as it faces challenges from higher costs and the latest political shift in the US.
Adding nuclear power to the nation's power mix would break with a ban dating to 1985. The law was introduced back then to appease strong public opposition to atomic generation, environmental concerns and a political consensus to focus on green energy, particularly wind power.
Danish resistance to nuclear was so embedded that it caused a high-level diplomatic rift when neighbouring Sweden in the 1970s built reactors located across the sea from Copenhagen.
Advances in nuclear technology and a stronger focus on energy security have recently strengthened the debate about introducing nuclear power in Denmark. An opinion poll published in January showed 55pc of Danes favour ending the nuclear ban, compared with 46pc in 2022. Now only 27pc want to keep it.
Sweden is also planning to reintroduce investments in nuclear power, and in 2023 Finland brought online a 1,600-megawatt reactor that was then Europe's biggest.
Aagaard ruled out the idea of conventional nuclear power plants, but said he's instead looking toward new technologies such as small modular reactors.
'It's also a positive aspect that there may be some business opportunities linked to this technology,' he said.