Small nuclear reactors, so-called SMRs, are 4-5 times smaller than today's large nuclear reactors.

Vattenfall has previously stated that SMR is the most interesting in a possible investment in new nuclear power.

The consulting company WSP has produced a report that paints two scenarios.

In one respect, Sweden is waiting and will get a maximum of five or six small nuclear reactors by 2050, which will have marginal importance for the electricity supply.

In the offensive scenario, the first new reactors will be completed in the early 2030s, and by 2050 there will be perhaps 25.

Sweden is expected to double its electricity consumption

25 SMR would provide approximately 40 TWh of electricity in 2050. Sweden is expected to double its electricity consumption by 2050, which requires 150 TWh of increased electricity production.

40 TWh is not enough to replace today's six nuclear power plants, which according to the current decision must be taken out of operation due to age by 2045 at the latest.

- There is a superstition among some politicians that nuclear power will solve everything.

New nuclear power may be good in the long term, but it is not enough, says Anna Nordling, head of energy at WSP and responsible for the report.

WSP are consultants for both the state and the municipalities as well as for the power industry.

They have written the report on their own initiative and the conclusions are their own.

Points out several obstacles

According to the investigator, much more is required than the promises made by the politicians in the election campaign about changes in the law such as allowing more than ten reactors, and in more places, if new reactors are to be built.

- A broad political consensus is required that we invest in nuclear power.

It is not enough to have a term of office where we have a positive image, says Anna Nordling.

She also sees factors as a deterrent.

The question of both waste and uranium mines, for example, has caused great debate.

Long investment times are another obstacle, as are wavering political ambitions.

In countries such as England, France and Finland, reactor construction has been significantly delayed and much more expensive than planned.

- I think it is necessary for the state to step in, somehow.

Without government support, I absolutely believe it will be difficult to build any new reactors in Sweden, says Anna Nordling.