Latest news with #Aagaard
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Denmark may end 40-year nuclear ban for power mix
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.
Business Mayor
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Denmark rethinking 40-year nuclear power ban amid Europe-wide shift
Denmark is reconsidering its 40-year ban on nuclear power in a major policy shift for the renewables-heavy country. The Danish government will analyse the potential benefits of a new generation of nuclear power technologies after banning traditional nuclear reactors in 1985, its energy minister said. The Scandinavian country is one of Europe's most renewables-rich energy markets and home to Ørsted, the world's biggest offshore wind company. More than 80% of its electricity is generated from renewables, including wind, biofuels and solar, according to the International Energy Agency. But Denmark may begin investing in modular nuclear reactors too, Lars Aagaard, the energy and climate minister, suggested. Aagaard told the Danish newspaper Politiken: 'We can see that there is a development under way with new nuclear power technologies – small, modular reactors. But it's not enough that they have potential. We also need to know what it means for Danish society if we are to enable these technologies.' The country's decision to reconsider nuclear power has emerged as interest in new nuclear reactor designs has picked up across Europe, alongside plans to extend the lifespan of the continent's existing reactors. Denmark's former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the Financial Times on Wednesday he supported lifting the 'ridiculous' ban on nuclear power. 'Wind and solar are good as long as you have wind and sunshine. But you have to have a non-fossil base-load and it's ridiculous to exclude nuclear power in advance. My guess is that this is a process [from the government] towards lifting the ban,' he said. Renewed European interest in nuclear power is in part because of an expected increase in demand for low-carbon electricity to decarbonise transport, industry and home heating in the decades ahead. The developers of small modular reactor designs, which can be built in factories and assembled on site, have promised lower costs and shorter construction times than traditional large-scale reactors. Nuclear power has also won the backing of tech companies, including Google, which are interested in using small modular nuclear reactors to supply their energy-hungry datacentres with consistent 24/7 electricity. Spain, widely considered anti-nuclear, is understood to be reconsidering plans to shut down its seven nuclear reactors in the next decade after a major power outage across the Iberian peninsula last month. In Germany, which banned nuclear power in 2022, the debate over whether to restart its reactors has been reignited after the halt in Russian gas imports that year underlined its heavy reliance on gas power plants. Meanwhile, the UK, France and Belgium have agreed to extend the life of existing nuclear reactors to help meet the growing demand for low-carbon electricity to decarbonise their economies. France hopes to build another six reactors to rejuvenate its ageing fleet, and late last year connected the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to its grid, the first addition to its nuclear power network in 25 years. The UK is building the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset and expects to set out plans to develop small modular reactors in the coming months, alongside deciding whether to invest in the embattled Sizewell C nuclear project. In Denmark, Ørsted, the wind company, has struggled in the face of high inflation, supply-chain disruption and higher interest rates, forcing it to cut jobs and delay or cancel projects. Last week it cancelled one of the UK's largest offshore windfarms, Hornsea 4, off the Yorkshire coast, saying soaring costs meant it no longer made economic sense.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Denmark is considering lifting 40-year-old nuclear power ban, minister says
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Denmark is considering lifting a 40-year-old ban on nuclear power to enhance its energy security, its energy minister said, marking a significant policy shift in a country that has prioritised expanding wind and solar power. The Danish government will analyse the potential benefits of new nuclear power technologies, with a report expected to be ready next year, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard told Danish daily Politiken in an interview published late on Tuesday. "We can see that there is a development underway with new nuclear power technologies - small, modular reactors," Aagaard said in remarks confirmed by his ministry on Wednesday. "But it's not enough that they have potential. We also need to know what it means for Danish society if we are to enable these technologies," he said. He also dismissed the idea that traditional nuclear power technologies would return in Denmark, which banned it in 1985. "We continue the energy policy we have pursued for many years in Denmark. Solar and wind are the cheapest and fastest way to the green transition," Aagaard said. In 2005, Danes celebrated as neighbouring Sweden shut down the Barseback 2 nuclear reactor, located near Copenhagen just across the Oresund strait. While Sweden has closed more of its nuclear plants over the past decade, the current government is taking a firmly pro-nuclear stance and is seeking to build new capacity. Later on Wednesday, Aagaard is due to appear at a public hearing in parliament and answer questions from opposition parties favouring the revival of nuclear power.
Straits Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Denmark is considering lifting 40-year-old nuclear power ban, minister says
Denmark's Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard holds a press conference during the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo COPENHAGEN - Denmark is considering lifting a 40-year-old ban on nuclear power to enhance its energy security, its energy minister said, marking a significant policy shift in a country that has prioritised expanding wind and solar power. The Danish government will analyse the potential benefits of new nuclear power technologies, with a report expected to be ready next year, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard told Danish daily Politiken in an interview published late on Tuesday. "We can see that there is a development underway with new nuclear power technologies - small, modular reactors," Aagaard said in remarks confirmed by his ministry on Wednesday. "But it's not enough that they have potential. We also need to know what it means for Danish society if we are to enable these technologies," he said. He also dismissed the idea that traditional nuclear power technologies would return in Denmark, which banned it in 1985. "We continue the energy policy we have pursued for many years in Denmark. Solar and wind are the cheapest and fastest way to the green transition," Aagaard said. In 2005, Danes celebrated as neighbouring Sweden shut down the Barseback 2 nuclear reactor, located near Copenhagen just across the Oresund strait. While Sweden has closed more of its nuclear plants over the past decade, the current government is taking a firmly pro-nuclear stance and is seeking to build new capacity. Later on Wednesday, Aagaard is due to appear at a public hearing in parliament and answer questions from opposition parties favouring the revival of nuclear power. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US doctors link microplastics to premature births
Microplastics and nanoplastics are more likely to show up in the placentae of premature babies than those born full-term, according to a team of US-based doctors. The discovery means there is a "possibility" that the plastic shards "could be contributing to the risk and occurrence of preterm birth," according to Kjersti Aagaard of Boston Children's Hospital. Microplastics are smaller than 5 millimetres, while nanoplastics are too tiny to be seen by the human eye. In recent years they have been found in male reproductive organs and have been shown to pass from mother to unborn baby. "When combined with other recent research, this study adds to the growing body of evidence, ranging from heart disease to potentially stroke, that demonstrates a real risk of exposure to plastics on human health and disease," said Aagaard. "The finding of higher placental concentrations among preterm births was surprising because it was counter-intuitive to what you might expect if it was merely a byproduct of the length of time of the pregnancy," said Enrico Barrozo of Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The team's research was based on "highly sensitive" mass spectrometry analysis of 175 placentae; 100 of which were at term and 75 collected preterm or at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. It was published in the medical journal Pregnancy and presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting on January 30.
