Energy

The Recent Overview and Prospects of Nuclear Power Policy and Industrial Strategies in the UK, Italy and Sweden

January 1, 2009

Tomoko Murakami

Yuji Matsuo

Yu Nagatomi

The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

Abstract

European countries that had moved away from nuclear energy or frozen the construction of new nuclear power plants have begun to return to the construction due to their pursuit of low-carbon electricity sources, energy security and requirements for replacements for existing nuclear plants. Particularly, we should pay attention to developments in the UK that vowed to launch the construction of new nuclear power plants in its 2007 Energy White Paper, and in Italy and Sweden that have begun to reconsider their legal ban on new nuclear plants. These countries launched nuclear power generation development comparatively in the early stage in the world, and built solid nuclear industry infrastructure, however after that, suspended the construction of new nuclear power plants for energy-related or economic reasons. In view of recent conditions, however, they are trying to reintroduce nuclear energy or expand nuclear energy use. Given these points, the three countries are viewed as symbols of Europes return to nuclear energy.

CONNECT WITH THE WORLD'S
TOP ASIA ANALYSTS

Sign up to receive free daily think pieces from leading analysts or our weekly digest, that includes our editorial and a collection of recent articles in brief.

EABER Member Institutions

© 2026 East Asian Bureau of Economic Research. All rights reserved.