Nuclear power

Nuclear power upholds everyday electricity supply and supports the continued electrification of society.

Nuclear sourcing

Nuclear power is a low-carbon source of electricity generation that plays a key role in the energy transition. It supports everyday electricity supply and the continued electrification of society. Nuclear power offers long-term supply of dispatchable electricity for further electrification and sustainable growth.

Our operations

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ is a major owner of nuclear power in Northern Europe with vast experience of nuclear operations, decommissioning and management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Nuclear safety is the overriding priority in everything we do.

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ owns ten nuclear reactors, five of which are in commercial operation. Seven reactors are located in Sweden (four at Ringhals, three at Forsmark), and three in Germany (Brunsbüttel, Krümmel and a minority stake in Brokdorf). The German government has decided to phase out nuclear power and 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ's nuclear power plants in Germany are being decommissioned.

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ is currently planning to build new nuclear power on the Värö peninsula, where the Ringhals nuclear power plant is located.

In 2015, 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ decided to close the two oldest reactors at Ringhals. The reactor Ringhals 2 was permanently shut down in 2019 and the reactor Ringhals 1 in 2020, according to plan and following preparations after the 2015 decision. Both reactors are now in an advanced stage of decommissioning. Meanwhile, over a period of ten years, 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ has invested in extensive modernisation programmes so that Ringhals 3 and 4 and Forsmark 1, 2 and 3 are well prepared to operate for decades ahead.

In 2023, nuclear generation represented nearly 30% of Sweden's electricity production. 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ's Ringhals and Forsmark nuclear reactors produced 37.4 TWh of 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ's total electricity generation at 100.9 TWh.

Sourcing nuclear

We aim to set and maintain high standards on our fuel sourcing. Nuclear fuel suppliers are screened and approved by 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ before they deliver.

Read more about nuclear fuel sourcing

Employee walking down a staircase in a power plant

News and press releases

Three proposals for new buildings for small modular reactors. The visualisations are made by Gottlieb Paludan Architects

News Comments 13 August 2024 2 min

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ welcomes report on risk-sharing model for new nuclear

The Swedish government investigator has presented a report on how the state can take part of the risk when building new nuclear power plants. 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ welcomes the report and looks forward...

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Desirée Comstedt interviewed in 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ Studio

News Nuclear 20 December 2023 1 min

This is needed for 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ to be able to add new nuclear capacity in Sweden

When can there be new nuclear capacity in Sweden and what more is needed to make it a reality? Watch Desirée Comstedt, responsible for the development of new nuclear power at 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ, int...

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News Nuclear 29 August 2023 2 min

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ takes the next step towards new nuclear power

At the beginning of September, 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ's CEO Anna Borg brings parts of the company's Group Management to Canada to visit developers of nuclear power technology, power companies and author...

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Nuclear waste management

High-level, long-life radioactive waste, primarily consisting of spent nuclear fuel, must be carefully shielded during handling and transportation. It takes approximately 100,000 years for the radioactivity to decline to the level that is found in the uranium ore from which the fuel was originally extracted. Waste generated during the operation of a nuclear power plant is classified as radioactive if it was contaminated or activated in the process.

Nuclear waste management in Sweden

Radioactive waste in Sweden is classified in four levels and depending on the radionuclide content in the waste it is also classified as long-lived or short-lived waste. The Swedish system of waste management was developed by SKB, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company, which is a a company owned by the Swedish nuclear operators. The system consists of several facilities for final disposal of the waste depending on its activity and lifetime. The Swedish national authorities supervise the process for the final storage of spent nuclear fuel.

The safety work at 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ’s plants in Sweden is supervised by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority.

Nuclear waste management in Germany

In 2016, the German Bundestag passed a law under which responsibility for the intermediate and final storage of nuclear waste was transferred to the state. In return, the nuclear operators made payments to a public fund.

So far, there is neither a final repository for low and medium-level radioactive waste nor for spent nuclear fuel. A final repository for low and medium-level radioactive waste is being built in a former iron ore mine (Schacht Konrad) and is expected to be available in 2027. Until then, the waste is stored in interim storages at the nuclear power plant sites. At our Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant a special storage facility has been built and is scheduled to go into operation in 2022. It will then be handed over to the federally owned BGZ (Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung) which is responsible for operating all interim storage facilities for radioactive waste in Germany. A similar storage facility is being built at our Krümmel nuclear power plant.

The site finding procedure for a final repository for spent nuclear fuel is ongoing. Until such a storage facility is available, the spent nuclear fuel is stored in interim facilities that exist at all nuclear power plant sites.

The safety work at 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ’s plants in Germany is supervised by the Social Ministry of Schleswig-Holstein.

Nuclear waste authorities

View into a nuclear power plant cooling pond

Our power plants

Find out more about 539 ��Ƴ�ʽ’s power plants and facts about how much electricity and heat we are producing.

Nuclear power and the environment

Nuclear power emits low levels of CO₂ throughout its entire life cycle. The management of high-level waste such as spent nuclear fuel requires storage in secure facilities for an extremely long time. The facilities must meet the requirements for radiation protection for up to 100,000 years. It is the operator's responsibility to have reliable solutions for managing nuclear waste.

Mining of uranium for the manufacturing of nuclear fuel has an impact on nature. Modern mining methods allow for the landscape to be restored once mining operations have finished. The construction of new nuclear power plants requires the use of energy-intensive materials, such as metal and concrete, but once a nuclear power plant is up and running it emits exceptionally low amounts of CO₂.

To get a comprehensive overview of the total emissions in relation to nuclear power, we have carried out an Environmental Product Declaration, EPD. EPDs are updated on a regular basis and they help us identify where we should focus our future efforts to keep reducing our emissions even further.

Environmental Product Declaration

We carry out an EPD to assess the impact of projects.

Nuclear decommissioning

539 ��Ƴ�ʽ has established the Business Unit Nuclear Decommissioning to perform a safe and efficient decommissioning of reactors in Germany and Sweden. The licensing of a Swedish final repository for spent nuclear fuel is progressing as planned. The next step is the government’s approval of the application made by SKB. This application involves both the site for future storage in Forsmark and the so-called KBS-3 method that is setting an international benchmark for final storage of nuclear waste. The method is the result of more than 30 years of research & demonstration carried out by SKB.