Sweden, USA agree to nuclear cooperation
02 August 2024
Sweden and the USA have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at pursuing cooperation in industrial collaboration, technology development, and research and innovation in technologies related to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
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Granholm (left) and Busch (right) signing the MoU (Image: @BuschEbba / X)
The MoU was signed by Sweden's Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in Washington, DC, on 1 August.
The partners said the agreement will "provide a framework for the participants to enhance overall cooperation between their respective government bodies, enterprises, and research institutions in policies and research and development activities relating to civil nuclear energy".
The MoU means that Sweden and the USA will exchange experience on issues related to policy, research and innovation related to supply chains, financing models, skills supply and development of advanced nuclear fuel.
Specific technological areas for cooperation include: nuclear power reactors, including advanced reactors such as small modular reactors; advanced nuclear fuel development; nuclear waste management; and nuclear safety and security.
The partners plan to exchange publicly available scientific and technical information, as well as share information and experiences on policies and regulations, and share and develop best practices on security of energy supply and demand for nuclear energy technologies. They will facilitate contacts between relevant public and private sector entities in both countries and encourage and promote dialogue, networking, and cooperation at all levels among government representatives, government bodies, enterprises along the value chain and research institutions through visits, workshops, meetings and other activities.
"Sweden and the United States will now cooperate on nuclear power," Busch said. "This is good for Sweden, the United States, the labour market and competitiveness. Our countries enjoy longstanding and good relations and I look forward to strengthening our cooperation and knowledge exchange in the area of nuclear power."
"Today's agreement further strengthens US cooperation with Sweden to diversify our supply chains and nuclear fuel supply, deploy new reactors, and find solutions to the management of our spent nuclear fuel," Granholm said in a post on X.
In October 2022, Sweden's incoming centre-right coalition government adopted a positive stance towards nuclear energy. In November last year, it unveiled a roadmap which envisages the construction of new nuclear generating capacity equivalent to at least two large-scale reactors by 2035, with up to ten new large-scale reactors coming online by 2045.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News