Energy policy was one of the topics that caused heated discussions among the Swedish party leaders, who met on Sunday evening for a party leaders' debate ahead of the autumn elections. The government wants to build new nuclear power for billions. Although a majority of the Swedish parties agree with the plans, there is skepticism in the opposition.
- Energy policy has failed because the government has refused to reach a broad agreement. We need new nuclear power in Sweden, but we also need offshore wind, said Magdalena Andersson, leader of the opposition party Social Democrats (S), according to SVT.
The background is the energy negotiations that were carried out between the government and the opposition last year, but which ended without result, as the parties could not reach an agreement.
The need for more wind energy is not something that the right-wing Sweden Democrats (SD) party has much to spare. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson describes it as wind power populism.
- We have a lot, when it's windy - then we have far too much. We need stable base power, and that's where nuclear power comes in, said Jimmie Åkesson.
The leader of the Green Party, Amanda Lind, strongly disagrees and accuses the SD party leader of not wanting any change.
- It's clear that Jimmie Åkesson is the reason why the expansion of wind power has been put on hold. 92 percent of what's being built in the world today is renewable, she said according to SVT.
Prime Minister: Room for both nuclear power and wind energy
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who is the leader of the governing Moderate party, believes that there is room for both nuclear power and wind energy. He calls Sweden a pioneer in the energy sector.
- Other countries need gas as base power instead of nuclear power, but we don't have that. If Sweden wants to become completely dependent on dangerous and strange countries, we need hydropower, nuclear power and wind power on top of that, the prime minister said, according to SVT.
Sweden currently has a minority government consisting of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. The Sweden Democrats are the supporting party and ensure that the government has a majority in the Riksdag.
Ulf Kristersson recently said that the Moderates will allow the immigration-critical Sweden Democrats to become part of the government if they win the elections, which will be held on September 13.
/ritzau/
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