The Swedish parliament has lifted a 30-year-old ban on the construction of new nuclear reactors. The new law will allow the construction of new reactors at existing power plants starting January 1, 2011, to replace 10 old reactors that still produce about 40 percent of Sweden’s electricity.
The law was passed with 174 votes in favor and 172 against, with three members absent. The law was opposed by members from the left-center party, which has announced that it will amend it if it wins the elections in September.Šwedes voted in a referendum in the 1980s for the removal of existing reactors by 2010, but in 1997, Sweden abandoned plans to phase out nuclear energy. (www.hrt.hr)
