Europe

Home page

Europe

Sweden decides to build new nuclear reactors

18 June 2010 02:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Swedish parliament on Thursday approved a government bill on building new nuclear reactors, according to a statement from the parliament website, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

The bill was passed by a margin of two votes with 174 against 172 after a debate in the 349-member parliament.

Nuclear power accounts for about half of the total energy Sweden uses, but the country decided to phase out the nuclear reactors since 1980 under the pressure from environmentalists.

After considering nuclear power as a clean energy which does not emit carbon dioxide, many people tend to support nuclear power, especially those in the center party in the government.

Nuclear power is considered a source for sustainable energy supply and a way to deal with climate change.

Sweden has 10 nuclear reactors. It is reported that new nuclear reactors will be built in the current sites in the country.

The bill was also passed against the background that some 50 members of the environmental activist group Greenpeace were arrested after they breached security fences and unfurled banners at a nuclear plant in Forsmark, north of Stockholm early this week.