Majority of Swedes Oppose Early Shutdown of Nuclear Plants

Here at NEI, we spend a considerable amount of time examining public opinion about nuclear energy, and how support for the industry has never been higher in the U.S. than it is today. And with this news out of Sweden, it looks like Americans aren't the only ones who are comfortable with nuclear energy:

A majority of Swedes want their nuclear power stations to produce energy until their operational lifespan ends, and not be shut down early, a poll published on Tuesday showed.

Sweden shut its Barsebäck 2 reactor on June 1st, the second reactor to be taken out of service in the country since 1999 as part of a plan to phase out nuclear power over the next 30 or so years.

The poll, conducted by Temo on behalf of the Swedish nuclear industry's research and training centre KSU, found that 65 percent of those questioned did not agree with the decision to shut down reactors while they could still produce energy.

We first posted on the shutdown back in May. Meanwhile, right next door in Finland, work continues on a reactor at Olkiluoto. I wonder how the folks in Sweden will feel if they wind up importing electricity from Finland?

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Sweden, Finland, Electricity