The government wants a new nuclear reactor – Aftonbladet

The government is investigating whether a new research reactor to be built in Sweden.

The cost of it would be at least 1.5 billion.

– I are very positive about this, said Education Minister Jan Björklund to Dagens Industri.

With a month to go until the election will notice from the government that it wants to build a new nuclear reactor. The initiative comes from KTH, Chalmers and Uppsala University and the reactor is only intended as a research facility. It is supposed to be at the Oskarshamn where there are three reactors.

The cost of the project is estimated initially to cost 1.5 billion. Money that the state should stand for.

The reactor is a so-called “fast reactor” and is the new unique type that is supposed to use nuclear fuel up to 100 times more efficient than today’s reactors.

– in reactor builds a fuel fabrication and a separation unit, which means that the fuel is basically used to, you have used up all the uranium in it, says Christian Ekberg, Professor of Industrial Materials and Nuclear Chemistry at Chalmers, DI.

He also believes that today’s reactors only puts an end to one percent of the energy in the fuel before it is buried.

“Would be a world leader”

The new type of reactor belongs to the fourth generation reactors and has the advantage that the waste can be reused and that in the end is to be stored is much less radioactive. Scientists also believe that the new technology basically completely prevent meltdowns.

But the technology is expensive and it will take time before the fourth generation of reactors used for commercial purposes.

As early as 2012, they sent three universities in a request to build the reactor, but only now thus choose the government to investigate the proposal. DI writes that according to sources of the newspaper has been difficult for the government to agree on the issue. Jan Björklund sees in all cases very positive about the project.

– There is a very large research investment where Sweden would quickly become one of the world’s leading nations in the research in this area, he says to DI.

New government investigation may answer

recently, it built a research reactor in Sweden was in the 50s. Between 1986 and 2006, according to the so-called mind Prohibition Act prohibited to conduct research that could be used to build new reactors.

The proposal for the new forskningsreaktornhar now been submitted for consultation to the Council investigates the application. Two weeks after the election, on October 1, the Council shall meet the then newly elected government.