Nordic country now has four concrete reactor projects underway
Swedish nuclear technology company Studsvik has applied for the second time this year to build a small modular reactor (SMR) park, which would be at its Nyköping nuclear site in the south of the country.
Studsvik said that the site would have a capacity of 600-1,400 MW and that subject to permits it would aim to have the first reactors operational in the 2030s.
The application follows that of SMR project development company Kärnfull Next, a subsidiary of Studsvik, which applied in March to build a 1,200-1,600 MW SMR park in Valdemarsvik, also in southern Sweden, as the country looks to ramp up its nuclear power capacity.
Earlier this year, the Swedish government approved three draft laws aimed at accelerating the build-out of new nuclear power plants, including opening new areas for potential development along its coastal regions.
The application for the Nyköping site, which has nuclear research and waste management facilities, is the first stage in a government review process, that would subsequently involve the municipality, land and environmental permits, and that of the Swedish Radiation Authority.
The application forms part of a Studsvik programme aimed at building several SMR sites in the south of the country. The company said that further applications may follow.
Studsvik does not directly manufacture advanced reactors, but is working with reactor companies and utilities including GE Vernova, developer of the BWRX-300 SMR, and Finnish state energy company Fortum, to develop and package ready-to-build projects.
“Sweden has decided to build new nuclear power, and the country needs new firm, fossil-free capacity on a scale not seen in a generation,” said Karl Thedéen, Studsvik’s president and chief executive.
“Few sites in the country are as ready to contribute as Nyköping. Studsvik combines an active nuclear site and decades of technical expertise with one of Sweden's most experienced new-build development teams. Our intention is to turn that into real capacity for the Swedish grid,” he added.
Four Projects Underway
The news was welcomed by the government as evidence of the country’s fast development in advanced nuclear.
“Sweden has moved from words to action. The government's policy for new nuclear power is now starting to materialise – in projects, investments, jobs and industrial power,” said Ebba Busch, Sweden’s energy minister and deputy prime minister.
She added that the country now had four concrete projects for nuclear power underway.
Besides the two from Studsvik and Kärnfull Next, advanced nuclear reactor manufacturer Blykalla has applied to build a 330-MW SMR park in the Gävle municipality two hours north of the capital Stockholm. State utility Vattenfall has also applied for state financing to build new reactors at its Ringhals nuclear site through its subsidiary Videberg Kraft.
In May 2025, Sweden passed a law establishing a state aid framework including government-backed loans and two-way contracts for difference for companies planning to build nuclear reactors, covering projects with a total capacity of up to 5,000 MW.
Sweden has six reactor units in commercial operation at three sites: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals. According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, nuclear energy provided 29% of the country’s electricity generation in 2025.
