Swedish industry: "Ebba Busch should not decide whether Vattenfall should build nuclear power"

Swedish business has long been an advocate of nuclear power.

That basically still applies - provided there is a need in the market, the organization believes.

- Ebba Busch should not decide whether new nuclear power is to be built.

Investors and companies must do that on the market's terms, says Jan-Olof Jacke, CEO of Swedish Business.

In the Tidö agreement and the government declaration, it is emphasized that the energy sector must be technology neutral.

At the same time, nuclear power must be fast-tracked with permission.

SEK 400 billion is promised in targeted credit guarantees for nuclear power and Vattenfall is to receive new directives to build new reactors.

Welcome changes to the law

Vattenfall's CEO Anna Borg has previously pointed out sharply against the wording in the Tidö agreement.

- This is not how you manage a state-owned company, she told SVT Nyheter on December 9.

No new nuclear reactors have been built in Sweden in 40 years.

Vattenfall and Swedish business welcome the government's promises of legislative changes to facilitate new construction, but want the companies themselves to decide what will be profitable to build.

- The task of politics is to remove obstacles and create equal conditions.

But decisions about new nuclear power must be made on commercial terms, whether it's today's big power companies or others who want to invest, says Jan-Olof Jacke.

Wants to protect technology neutrality

Vattenfall must be a business-driven company that makes independent commercial judgments about which types of energy to invest in, he believes, and urges the government to protect technology neutrality.

- We need more of both predictable and weather-dependent electricity, he says.

SVT Nyheter is looking for energy minister Ebba Busch (KD) for a comment.