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UK’s Committee on Radioactive Waste Managemen (CoRWM) visit to Sweden’s radioactive waste facilities

Members of CoRWM recently visited the Forsmark and Clab sites in Sweden.From:Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

5 October 2026

CoRWM members had been hoping to visit Sweden’s radioactive waste
facilities for some time, and our visit in September was well worth the
wait. Sweden is frequently discussed internationally as one of the
countries that has made significant progress towards the geological
disposal of both spent nuclear fuel, and low and intermediate level
operational wastes.

We wanted to understand more about how that progress
had been achieved, and particularly what we might learn from Sweden’s
experience of siting and public engagement. Our visit began at the Forsmark
nuclear site, in the municipality of Östhammar, where the repository for
short-lived radioactive wastes, SFR, has been operational since 1988. In
2009 the Forsmark site was also selected to house Sweden’s deep
geological spent fuel repository.

Construction has been underway since
2025. Our SKB hosts gave us an illustrated account of the history of the
Swedish siting process, drawing attention to what had gone well, as well as
the mistakes made in the early years. We were told that by the late 1980s
it had been established that there was suitable rock everywhere, but the
industry had yet to learn that however suitable the geology, “you can’t
just turn up with a digger”.

The SKB response to initial angry protests
was to embark on a major project of public engagement that began with the
posing of a basic question at a national level. They simply asked whether
people would be interested to find out how a repository for spent nuclear
fuel could affect their municipality? Eight municipalities from across the
country expressed an interest. What followed was much more than a search
for a willing community or a suitable geology. SKB invested heavily in
producing detailed socio-economic surveys of each of the candidate
municipalities, to see if they could identify mutual interests between
industry and residents.

CoRWM 5th Oct 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/corwm-visit-to-swedens-radioactive-waste-facilities

October 10, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Sweden, wastes | Leave a comment

Building the foundations for regulatory collaboration

UK and Swedish nuclear regulators have taken a significant step towards
international collaboration on small modular reactor deployment, with a
workshop supported by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and
Trade, designed to accelerate the safe rollout of the technology across
both countries. The workshop followed the recent announcement in June, that
the Swedish utility Videberg Kraft had selected Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd to
supply small modular nuclear reactors, representing the first new nuclear
build in Sweden for more than 40 years. Videberg Kraft, owned by Vattenfall
and a group of Sweden’s largest companies, plans to develop this new
nuclear power capacity alongside the site of the existing Ringhals nuclear
facility in southwest Sweden.

ONR 10th Sept 2026, https://www.onr.org.uk/news/all-news/2026/09/building-foundations-for-regulatory-collaboration

September 30, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Sweden, USA | Leave a comment

Consortium formed for Swedish SMR project

Thursday, 3 September 2026

Studsvik has selected GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Samsung C&T as its strategic partners for an initial four-unit BWRX-300 small modular reactor project, either at its existing licensed nuclear site in Nyköping or at the Målma site in Valdemarsvik.

Swedish nuclear technical services provider Studsvik, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH), GE Vernova Financial Services, DS Investment Partners and Samsung C&T announced the signing of an agreement to advance the ReFirm nuclear programme at Studsvik’s sites in Sweden. The agreement is exclusive for a fixed period, which the parties may extend.

ReFirm is a multi-site small modular reactor (SMR) and new nuclear development programme that became part of the Studsvik Group through the acquisition of Kärnfull Next earlier this year. The programme is focused on light-water SMR technology, with plans for multiple units at “SMR parks”. Its plan is for the first unit to be commissioned in the mid-2030s. Kärnfull Next has worked with GE Vernova Hitachi on BWRX-300 deployment in Sweden since 2022 and entered a strategic teaming agreement with Samsung C&T in December 2024.

Under the new agreement, the partners will begin joint development work immediately, including commercial, technical, regulatory and financing activities during the exclusivity period. Studsvik will lead permitting, the environmental impact assessment, site rights, community engagement and the dialogue with the Swedish state. GVH will lead reactor design, licensing support and cost estimation and acts as design authority, and, together with Samsung C&T, acts as the execution team, giving the project single-point responsibility for design and construction delivery. During the exclusivity period, South Korean investment firm DS Investment Partners will lead the investment and GE Vernova Financial Services participates in an advisory and financial structuring capacity in support of the consortium.

A joint project company will be established to support development, financing, construction, ownership and operation of the plants, with details to be finalised in definitive agreements, Studsvik said. It noted that the agreement marks the next phase of development and does not constitute a final investment decision or authorisation to construct.

September 8, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, Sweden | Leave a comment

Blykalla seeks state aid for second SMR plant

Wednesday, 2 September 2026,
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/blykalla-seeks-state-aid-for-second-smr-plant

Sweden’s Blykalla has applied for state support for its proposed small modular reactor power plant at Untra in the Tierp municipality, for which the company applied for governmental approval last week.

On 25 August, Blykalla submitted a proposal to the Swedish government for a nuclear power plant at Untra which would feature up to eight lead-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs) with a total capacity of up to 440 MWe. The application followed an earlier one, submitted in May, for a six-unit project in Norrsundet in the Gävle municipality, which is also in the same region of east central Sweden.

Blykalla has established Untra Nuclear Power AB as the licence holder and financing vehicle for the Untra plant, with strategic and financial investors expected to enter its ownership over time. Blykalla – through Untra Nuclear Power – has now applied for state support for the construction of the Untra plant, having applied in early June for government financing for its planned power plant in Norrsundet.

The Swedish state aid framework is designed to support new nuclear power through a state loan, a two-way contract for difference and a risk-sharing mechanism. The detailed terms of the state aid are agreed between the project company and the Swedish state, and any support would require approval by the European Commission in accordance with EU State aid rules. Negotiations on the terms of state support begin once the government decides to proceed with the application.

Following the receipt last week of Blykalla’s application to establish the nuclear power plant at Untra, the government has tasked the County Administrative Board in Uppsala County with preparing a proposal for a facility plan. This plan will guide how land and water areas should be used when establishing a nuclear facility. According to recent legislation, the government may approve an application if there is a valid facility plan for the facility in question. The proposed construction plan must be accompanied by an environmental impact statement and a plan description. This statement must include a description of the planning conditions and how the plan can be implemented. The plan must be submitted no later than 30 April 2027……………

Blykalla – formerly called LeadCold – is a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where lead-cooled reactor systems have been under development since 1996. The company – founded in 2013 as a joint stock company – is developing the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor). The company’s goal is for its first 140 MWt/55 MWe SEALER-55 commercial reactor to be ready for operation in the early 2030s.

In October 2022, Sweden’s incoming centre-right coalition government adopted a positive stance towards nuclear energy. In November 2023, it unveiled a roadmap which envisages the construction of new nuclear generating capacity equivalent to at least two large-scale reactors (2,500 MWe) by 2035, with the equivalent capacity of up to 10 new large-scale reactors (which may include SMRs) coming online by 2045. A new act on state aid entered into force on 1 August 2025, since when interested companies have been able to apply for the aid.

So far, approval has been sought for nuclear facilities at five sites with a total output of up to 3,700 MWe. In addition, the government has received applications for financial support to build nuclear reactors at two additional locations, with seven projects applying for state aid.

September 6, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, Sweden | Leave a comment

The 100,000-year plan for Finland’s and Sweden’s nuclear waste turns on something very small — whether bacteria half a kilometre underground can make enough sulphide to eat through five centimetres of copper

Why don’t i find this terribly reassuring?

When I wonder aboutall the countries busily producing radioactive trash, why doesn’t this article make me feel that it is all OK?

Two centuries of engineering innovation may ultimately depend on whether microorganisms in the bedrock can generate enough corrosive compounds to breach the copper canisters meant to contain radioactive waste for the next hundred thousand years.

By Space Daily Editorial Team · Edited by Mal James, August 14, 2026, https://spacedaily.com/m-the-100000-year-plan-for-finlands-and-swedens-nuclear-waste-turns-on-something-very-small-whether-bacteria-half-a-kilometre-underground-can-make-enough-sulphide-to-eat-through-five-centim/

he strange thing about the biggest engineering promise being made in northern Europe right now is that it does not really hinge on the steel, the concrete, or the granite. It hinges on how fast a population of microbes, living in near-total darkness half a kilometre down, can turn one chemical into another.

Finland and Sweden are both burying spent nuclear fuel for good, using a Swedish method called KBS-3. It wraps three barriers around the waste: a copper canister with a cast-iron insert inside it, a thick jacket of packed clay called bentonite, and then the bedrock itself.

In Finland the repository is Onkalo, about 430 metres down. In Sweden it sits near Forsmark at roughly 500 metres. The copper shell around each canister is 50 mm thick, five centimetres of it. The design is supposed to keep the waste sealed off for at least 100,000 years.

We are not corrosion scientists, microbiologists, or nuclear engineers. What follows is reading and reflection on the published research, not a verdict on whether these repositories are safe. The studies cited are mostly lab experiments and modeled projections, and a lab result about clay in a test cell is not a guarantee about a specific canister in the ground 40,000 years from now.

What 100,000 years actually asks of a metal box

It is hard to hold the number in your head. These canisters need to outlast everything humans have ever built, several times over, with no maintenance and no one watching.

The clever part of the design is that copper is not being asked to do the impossible. In pure water with no oxygen and no aggressive chemistry, it just sits there. The catch is that the ground is not chemically dead. So the real question was never “is copper strong?” It was “what, specifically, in this rock and this water can attack copper over geological time?” The answer comes down to a surprisingly short list.

Why the enemy is sulphide, not oxygen

When the canisters go into the ground, there is a short window, perhaps a few years to a few decades, where trapped oxygen can corrode the copper a little. Then the oxygen gets used up and never comes back. From that point on the canister lives in an oxygen-free world for essentially its entire life. By one estimate, a KBS-3 canister spends more than 99.99% of its expected service life in these oxygen-free conditions.

That flips the corrosion problem on its head. Oxygen, the thing that rusts most metals, barely matters here. The agent that matters in an oxygen-free repository is sulphide, and sulphide is not just sitting in the rock waiting. Most of it has to be made by living things.

Deep groundwater carries dissolved sulphate. Sulphate on its own leaves copper alone. But a group of microbes called sulphate-reducing bacteria breathe sulphate the way we breathe oxygen, and their waste product is sulphide. That is the chemical that can actually corrode the copper. So the load-bearing question in a 100,000-year safety case turns out to be biological: how busy are the bacteria, and how much of their sulphide reaches the metal.

Meet the bacteria, and what they need

Sulphate-reducing bacteria are ancient, widespread, and perfectly at home in deep oxygen-free groundwater. Give them dissolved sulphate, an energy source, and liquid water they can move around in, and they will make sulphide. That this kind of microbe-driven corrosion is real, and can move fast in the right conditions, is not hypothetical. An in-ground study in packed bentonite soaked with groundwater at repository depth measured active sulphide production by bacteria, with the rate dropping sharply as the clay was packed to higher densities.

So why is anyone confident the canisters last? Because the whole design is arranged to deny the bacteria the one thing they need most: room to work and a clear path to the metal. That is the job of the clay.

The bentonite bottleneck

The bentonite around each canister is not passive packing material. When it gets wet it swells into a dense, gel-like barrier. Two things happen at high density. The pores get so small and the water so tightly held that bacteria struggle to live and move. And sulphide can no longer flow freely; it can only creep through slowly.

A 2000 lab study led by Karsten Pedersen and colleagues tested exactly this. They reported that “sulphate-reducing bacteria were found to be active, reducing sulphate at the lowest density studied, 1.5 g cm-3, but sulphate reduction activity ceased at higher densities.” The paper’s own conclusion is carefully hedged: at full repository packing, it says the bacteria will most probably not be able to induce corrosion. That is one study, on Swedish KBS-3 clay, and it reads as suggestive rather than final. But it points at something the whole safety case leans on: squeeze the clay hard enough and the microbial factory inside it may largely shut down.

That still leaves sulphide arriving from the surrounding groundwater. Here the argument shifts from biology to plumbing. A 2017 review by Fraser King and colleagues argues that the long-term corrosion rate is set not by how eagerly copper reacts, but by how slowly sulphide can travel to its surface through the clay. As long as the sulphide supply stays low, the corrosion is throttled to a crawl.

Put those numbers into a 100,000-year projection and the developers reach a comfortable conclusion. SKB’s own review estimates that, counting the sulphide already in the deposition holes plus what can seep in from groundwater, the copper corrosion depth after 100,000 years comes to less than 5 mm. Against a 50 mm wall, that leaves a large margin.

Closing thoughts

So the summary is a split one. That copper resists corrosion in an oxygen-free repository is well supported. That dense bentonite slows the bacteria and throttles the sulphide is supported by lab work, with the caveat that it is lab work. That the resulting rate holds steady for 100,000 years is a modeled projection, reasonable and carefully argued, but a projection all the same. The five centimetres of copper is the easy part. The hard part is a number about how much a colony of bacteria, buried in clay half a kilometre underground, can do over a span of time longer than civilisation.

August 18, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Finland, Sweden, wastes | Leave a comment

Sweden has agreed first financing package for new nuclear reactors, PM says

By Reuters, June 25, 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/sweden-has-agreed-first-financing-package-new-nuclear-reactors-pm-says-2026-06-25/

STOCKHOLM, June 25 (Reuters) – Sweden’s government has agreed on the details of a first financing package to ‌build new nuclear power reactors with developer Videberg Kraft, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.

“The state will also go in as an owner in this project,” Kristersson ⁠told reporters.

Kristersson gave no details of the financing package, which has to be approved by the European Commission.

The government said in a statement it will take a 60% stake in Videberg Kraft, currently 80% owned by state utility Vattenfall and 20% by a consortium of industrial companies. Vattenfall’s ‌stake ⁠will drop to 20%, the government added.

Sweden’s parliament last year passed legislation to finance a new generation of reactors, the first built in Sweden for more ⁠than 40 years and which the government says is necessary for energy security and achieving net zero ⁠emissions by 2045.

Earlier this month, Vattenfall selected Rolls-Royce SMR (RR.L), opens new tab to supply small modular nuclear reactors, choosing ⁠the British company over U.S. rival GE Vernova (GEV.N), opens new tab, in a deal worth several billion pounds.

Reporting by Simon Johnson, editing by Louise Rasmussen

June 30, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

URANIUM ISN’T ‘NUCLEAR’?

Nuclear madness sweeps Sweden

Beyond Nuclear, 24 June 26.

n keeping with the collective taking leave of all senses that seems to have gripped politicians everywhere when it comes to nuclear power, the Swedish parliament has decided that uranium mines need no longer be described as “a nuclear facility”.

This means the radioactivity they release and the waste they create— and mainly leave behind— can be treated like any other mineral. The rationale: “With uranium mines no longer regulated as nuclear facilities, uranium extraction will no longer require explicit municipal consent.”

Sweden had already lifted its uranium mining ban in January 2026. Plus, they also voted to “amend Sweden’s environmental code to enable the expansion of nuclear power in more places on the coast.” Climate change? Sea-level rise? Never heard of it!

June 28, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Sweden, Uranium | Leave a comment

Switzerland heading towards referendum on construction of new nuclear plants

Euro News, By Gavin Blackburn, 18/06/2026

“…… Switzerland’s parliament approved a divisive government plan to build new nuclear power stations on Thursday, overturning a 2018 ban and putting the country on course for a referendum.

The lower house of parliament joined the upper chamber in backing a government proposal to reverse the ban put in place following a referendum won by anti-nuclear campaigners in 2017.

… Both houses say authorisation for new nuclear plants can only be granted if the financing is secured.

A broad coalition of groups “will launch a referendum,” the Green Party said in a statement.

Greens president Lisa Mazzone said the parliament vote “sabotages the rapid development of renewable energies, climate protection and our energy sovereignty.”

The collection of signatures for a referendum would begin this month, the party said.

To trigger a referendum under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, 50,000 valid signatures must be collected within 100 days of publication of a new law, a hurdle the coalition is expected to clear.

………….The Swiss approved the gradual phase-out of nuclear power in the 2017 referendum, banning the construction of new power plants.

That law was the result of a long process initiated after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, which was triggered by a tsunami.

Switzerland continues to operate four nuclear reactors whose construction dates back to the 20th century.

Beznau 1, commissioned in 1969, is the oldest functioning nuclear reactor in Europe. It will cease operations in 2033, while Beznau 2, connected to the grid since 1971, will close a year earlier, in 2032.

Gosgen and Leibstadt began operating in 1979 and 1984, respectively. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/18/switzerland-heading-towards-referendum-on-construction-of-new-nuclear-plants

June 22, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

A flurry of nuclear developments in Sweden—state aid, SMR selections, legislation

Nuclear Newswire 18th June 2026

Within the span of two weeks, three Swedish companies—Blykalla, Studsvik, and Nordic Baseload Power—submitted applications to their country’s government for state aid for their respective new nuclear builds. Applications are handled by Sweden’s Ministry of Finance.

n early June, SMR developer Blykalla submitted its application to the Swedish government, followed by engineering services firm Studsvik on June 12. And on June 16, energy company Nordic Baseload Power became the latest to apply for financial support. Overall, the Swedish government has received four applications for state aid since last year.

In its efforts to spur nuclear power growth, the Swedish government last summer allowed companies to apply for financial aid in the form of government loans or two-way contracts. Under two-way contracts, the power plant operator and government agree on a deal that ensures a “minimum level of compensation protection by central government and setting an overcompensation cap for the company.” State aid is limited, however, for new nuclear power installed capacity of up to 5,000 MW.

Swedish officials welcomed the interest the state aid offer is receiving from companies…………………………………………………………………

Other Swedish news: The Riksdag, Sweden’s national parliament, has also weighed in on nuclear legislation this month. On June 11, lawmakers approved permitting legislation that streamlines the framework for extracting and processing uranium and other nuclear materials.

“A key aspect of the legislation is that the extraction and processing of uranium will now be treated in a manner consistent with other metals and minerals within Sweden’s overall permitting framework,” according to an announcement from District Metals, a Canada-based company with Swedish operations that welcomed the legislation.

“The amendments remove the requirement for a separate admissibility assessment under the Environmental Code and eliminate the requirement for municipal council consent for uranium extraction and processing projects, commonly referred to as the municipal veto,” the company stated.

In addition to the uranium regulatory legislation, the Riksdag also approved amendments that lifted bans on nuclear facilities in certain coastal areas and archipelagos. According to the Riksdag, these bans will be lifted on July 15. https://www.ans.org/news/2026-06-18/article-8133/new-sweden-developments/

June 22, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

Sweden’s Parliament approves reclassification of uranium mining

WNN 17 June 26

The Swedish Parliament has approved amendments to Swedish legislation that will streamline the permitting process for the extraction and processing of uranium, to treat it in a similar way to other metals and minerals. It has also approved a government-proposed amendment that will open up more coastal sites to potential nuclear power projects.

Swedish state to take stake in nuclear development firm

WNN, Tuesday, 14 April 2026

The Swedish government said it plans to take a majority stake in nuclear project development company Videberg Kraft AB and to take a role in financing the future system for the disposal of radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel.

In May last year, Sweden’s parliament – the Riksdag – approved the government’s proposals for providing state aid to companies that want to invest in new nuclear reactors in the country. The loans – aimed at lowering the cost of financing new nuclear – will be limited to the equivalent of four large-scale reactors (about 5000 MWe of capacity). The government noted that support may only be granted if the new reactors are sited at the same location and have a total installed output of at least 300 MWe. Two-way Contracts for Difference may be entered into once a new reactor has become operational and has been licensed to produce electricity at full capacity. The new act on state aid entered into force on 1 August, since when interested companies have been able to apply for the aid.

The Swedish government received an application for state aid in December to support proposals for either five GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors or three Rolls-Royce SMRs to provide about 1,500 MW capacity at the Ringhals site on the Värö Peninsula. The application came from Videberg Kraft AB, a project company owned by Vattenfall AB (80%) and backed by a series of industrial firms via the Industrikraft i Sverige AB consortium (20%).

The government has now said it is seeking authorisation from the Riksdag to acquire shares in Videberg Kraft in 2026 and 2027, giving the state a voting and ownership share of 60%, and to decide on an initial capital injection to the company of a total of no more than SEK1.8 billion (USD190 million). The government intends to enter into an agreement to acquire shares in Videberg Kraft in 2026. The formal transfer of the shares is expected to take place in the second half of 2027.

The government said it believes that there should be the possibility of increasing or decreasing the state’s voting and ownership share in the company, and is therefore requesting authorisation to adjust the ownership in the range of 51–65% until the reactors are completed and put into operation. Authorisation is also requested to be able to contribute capital to the company of a maximum of SEK34.3 billion during the construction period, provided that other owners also contribute their share of the capital. Funds for future capital contributions are estimated from 2030 onwards Both of these authorisations shall be valid until the reactors are put into routine operation, but not until 2045 at the latest.

The government also said that clarity was also needed regarding financing the disposal of used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from new nuclear power reactors in a new nuclear waste programme for actors who want to build new reactors. It is seeking authorisation to enter into agreements with Videberg Kraft in 2026 and 2027 regarding the proportion of fixed costs and increases in fixed costs in a new nuclear waste programme that the company and the state will be responsible for. The expected fixed costs for a new nuclear waste programme are estimated to total about SEK122 billion at 2026 prices. In order for Videberg Kraft, as the first actor to enter a new nuclear waste programme, not to have to risk bearing the entire fixed cost and being solely responsible for the new programme, the government believes that a state commitment is justified.

………………………………………………….. In February, the government announced several proposed measures to make it easier to establish new nuclear power in Sweden. These include a new approval law, more possible locations for nuclear power on the coast, and increased government support for municipalities’ feasibility studies. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/swedish-state-to-take-stake-in-nuclear-development-firm

April 18, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

Sweden’s Vattenfall Seeks State Funding for New Nuclear Reactors

By Michael Kern – Dec 23, 2025, https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Swedens-Vattenfall-Seeks-State-Funding-for-New-Nuclear-Reactors.html

Sweden’s power giant Vattenfall announced on Tuesday it is applying for state aid for an investment in small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of a plan by industrial giants to bet on new nuclear power in the country.

Last month Sweden’s biggest industrial firms signed an agreement with Vattenfall to become shareholders in the power giant’s new company, Videberg Kraft AB, which plans to build SMRs in the country.

One of Europe’s top electric utilities, Vattenfall, created Videberg Kraft AB in April this year as a separate entity to be able to apply for government support.

Now the company and the industry organization, Industrikraft, plan joint investment and collaboration enabling the development of new nuclear power in Sweden.

Industrikraft, whose members include Volvo Group, Saab, Alfa Laval, and Hitachi Energy, will become a shareholder in Videberg Kraft with a 20-percent stake.

The government has previously announced that the state also intends to become a shareholder in the new company.

The Swedish government moved to phase out nuclear power completely in 1980, but that decision was reversed by Parliament in 2010. Five years later, four aging reactors were shut down. Six of 12 reactors remain in operation in Sweden today.

The country is now betting on SMRs to expand its nuclear fleet as Stockholm seeks to further reduce emissions with low-carbon 24/7 energy.

Sweden has tweaked its renewable energy policy, which had called for 100% renewable electricity by 2040, changing the terminology to “100% fossil-free” electricity, paving the way for the construction of more nuclear power plants.

Now Videberg Kraft’s CEO Desirée Comstedt has submitted an application for financing and risk-sharing to the Swedish Government.

When an agreement between the state and Videberg Kraft has been reached, the government may initiate a formal state aid process with the European Commission, Vattenfall said.

Videberg Kraft is planning a project with either five BWRX-300 reactors from GE Vernova Hitachi or three reactors from Rolls-Royce SMR, which will provide a total nuclear power output of about 1,500 MW. There is currently an intensive evaluation process of the two remaining suppliers, and a decision on the final supplier is planned for 2026.

December 27, 2025 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

The Problem with Machado: Assange Sues the Nobel Foundation.

21 December 2025 Dr Binoy Kampmark, https://theaimn.net/the-problem-with-machado-assange-sues-the-nobel-foundation/

The Swedish police have promised it will go nowhere, but the attempt by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to draw attention to the inappropriateness of María Corina Machado as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient raises a few salient matters. On December 17, Assange submitted a criminal complaint to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority and Swedish Crimes Unit. The legal complaint is directed against the Nobel Foundation, arguing that the pending transfer of 11 million SEK ($US 1.18 million) and the award of the prize medal to Machado violates the terms of Alfred Nobel’s will of November 27, 1895.

The will, binding under the terms of Swedish law, stipulates that the award of the prize and monies be given to a person who, during the preceding year, “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” in pursuing “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

Given that the peace prize laureates are selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, seeking to hold them accountable for their poor choice of awardee might have been a better starting point. But the complaint is alert to this, noting that the Swedish funds administrators have a fiduciary duty when it comes to disbursing the funds. “The Norwegian committee’s selection does not grant them criminal immunity.” Indeed, it was up to the administrators to consider such a decision made “in flagrant conflict with the explicit purpose of the will, or where there is evidence that the awardee will use or is using the prize to promote or facilitate the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.”

Whatever the administrative minutiae, Assange’s effort is worth noting. Machado has become the unsavoury alternative to the Venezuelan incumbent, Nicolás Maduro, a figure who refused to accept the electoral returns for his opposing number, Edmundo González, in July 2024. González was essentially a pick by Machado, who has emerged as the empurpled, plumed candidate seeking Maduro’s overthrow. That she was the 2025 choice of prize recipient was galling enough for 21 Norwegian peace organisations to boycott the ceremony and prompt Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel to remark that, “Giving the prize to someone who calls for foreign invasion is a mockery of Alfred Nobel’s will.”

Machado has made no secret of her approval of the buildup of US military personnel (around 15,000) off the coast of Venezuela since August, including a nuclear-powered attack submarine and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. She has “incited and defended the Trump administration’s use of lethal military force and preparation for war.” The US military has already committed, charges Assange, “undeniable war crimes, including the lethal targeting of civilian boats and survivors at sea, which has killed at least 95 people.” (President Donald Trump has liberally designated such individuals narco-terrorists.) The Central Intelligence Agency has been authorised to conduct covert actions in Venezuela. Parts of the Venezuelan military have been classified by the Trump administration as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

Since Assange submitted his complaint, Trump has ordered a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or exiting Venezuela. The US has thus far seized two tankers, though the authorities have failed to distinguish which tankers are sanctioned or otherwise. The Panama-flagged Centuries, for instance, was not officially sanctioned by the US, showing that this administration is not one to be, as US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth put it, legally tepid.

A list of incitements to war by Machado are enumerated. They include the dedication of the award to President Trump for having “Venezuela in where it should be, in terms of a priority for United States national security”; a heartfelt endorsement of US military escalation as maybe being “the only way” in dealing with Maduro; warm appreciation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “decisions and resolute actions in the course of the [Gaza] war” and the endorsement of extrajudicial killing of civilian boats in the Caribbean Sea as “visionary”. Hardly the résumé for a peacemaker.

Assange argues that the failure of the funds administrators to stop pertinent disbursements to Machado, in light of the material submitted in the complaint, “indicates ongoing criminal intent.” Such funds aided “a conspiracy to murder civilians,” violated national sovereignty through using military force and advanced resource theft (Machado’s promised reward to US firms of oil and gas resources amounting to US$1.7 trillion). In doing so, Nobel’s will and charitable purpose had been violated through “gross misappropriation, aiding international crimes […] and conspiracy.” They also breached Sweden’s obligations under the Rome Statute. By way of remedy, the “immediate freezing of all remaining funds and a full criminal investigation lest the Nobel Peace Prize be permanently converted from an instrument of peace into an instrument of war” was sought.

In an email to AFP, Swedish detective inspector Rikard Ekman showed little interest in taking the matter up. “As I have decided not to initiate a preliminary investigation, no investigation will be conducted on the basis of the complaint.”

While this complaint remains a purist’s attempt to return the peace prize to a more conventional reading (Assange thinks the UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN human rights chief Volker Turk eminently more suitable candidates), the practice of awarding this inflated award to figures of ill-repute and sullied reputation will be hard to shake. The ghost of former US security advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a man lauded for bringing peace to Indochina when he covertly indulged illegal bombing campaigns, not to mention war crimes, torture and an assortment of other blood sports, continues to loom large. It might well be time to abolish the Nobel Peace Prize altogether, and the committee responsible for it. It was never a strong indicator of merit, even if it offers the chance for some very dark humour for the reptiles to revel in.

December 23, 2025 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Sweden | Leave a comment

Julian Assange: Sweden Broke Own Laws With Nobel Prize to Venezuela’s Machado

The same dynamic is at play in the Caribbean once again, according to Assange, as the Nobel Committee crowns a Venezuelan politician best known for her unhinged appeals for foreign military intervention and her dedication of her Nobel victory to US President Donald Trump.

Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed, The Grayzone, December 17, 2025

By awarding its peace prize to Trump’s favorite Venezuelan opposition figure, pro-war coup plotter Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Committee contravened the principles enshrined in its founding documents, as well as Swedish law, Julian Assange alleged in an explosive brief reviewed by The Grayzone.

The Swedish government violated its own laws by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, according to an explosive legal brief filed by Julian Assange, the Wikileaks co-founder and former political prisoner who was hounded across the globe, confined in harsh conditions, and subjected to physical and psychological torment over the course of a decade by the US and its allies.

The Nobel committee’s decision to award Machado the Peace Prize — and the 11 million Swedish Kroner ($1.18 million USD) reward which accompanies it — means that “there is a real risk that funds derived from Nobel’s endowment have been or will be… diverted from their charitable purpose to facilitate aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,” Assange stated.

The Wikileaks founder pointed to the “ample public statements… showing that the U.S. government and María Corina Machado have exploited the authority of the prize to provide them with a casus moralis for war,” adding that the explicitly stated purpose of the war sought by Machado and her wealthy Latin American backers would be “installing her by force in order to plunder $1.7 trillion in Venezuelan oil and other resources.”

The Nobel Foundation stands accused of a number of violations of Swedish criminal law, including breach of trust, misappropriation and gross misappropriation, conspiracy, crimes against international law, as well as financing of aggression, facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and breaching Sweden’s stated obligations under the Rome Statute, to which Stockholm says it is “deeply committed.”

Under Swedish law, “Alfred Nobel’s endowment for peace cannot be spent on the promotion of war,” Assange noted. “Nor can it be used as a tool in foreign military intervention. Venezuela, whatever the status of its political system, is no exception.”

By granting Nobel funds to Machado, Assange argues that the Committee is effectively financing “a conspiracy to murder civilians, to violate national sovereignty using military force…” By refusing to end payments, “they flagrantly violate Nobel’s will and clearly cross the threshold into criminality,” he alleged. The Wikileaks co-founder seeks the “immediate freezing of all remaining funds and a full criminal investigation” into Committee members who awarded the prize.

The Nobel Prizes were established in 1901 according to Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel’s last will and testament, which was later incorporated into the Swedish and Norwegian legal systems. The Peace Prize, which is meant to be bestowed on the figure who has contributed most to “fraternity between nations,” the “abolition or reduction of standing armies,” and “the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” has served as a cornerstone of Scandinavian soft power ever since.

Since its inception, however, the prize was marred by controversy due to the violent legacy of its recipients, and the political ambitions of its Norwegian sponsors. In the case of one of the Prize’s first winners, US President Theodore Roosevelt, the Norwegian Nobel Committee was criticized at the time for overlooking the American statesman’s naked warmongering in Latin America in order to curry favor with the nascent US empire. The New York Times sardonically observed that “a broad smile illuminated the face of the globe when the prize was awarded … to the most warlike citizen of these United States.”

As Assange explained, Trump’s massive buildup of US military forces off the coast of Venezuela “has already committed undeniable war crimes, including the lethal targeting of civilian boats and survivors at sea, which has killed at least 95 people.”

“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights labeled these U.S. coastal strikes against civilian boats “extrajudicial executions,” the Wikileaks co-founder wrote. And the “principal architect of this aggression” was none other than Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who “nominated María Corina Machado for the peace prize.”

Norwegian Nobel judges tied to influential Venezuelan regime change lobbyist

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a figure as clearly unqualified as Machado – and in apparent violation of Swedish law – raised questions about whether the Committee had been influenced by powerful outside interests. Machado’s nomination for the prize by the US Secretary of State had an undeniable impact on the decision, as the Nobel ceremony serves as a central channel of Norwegian soft power. But inside Oslo, a political powerbroker determined to return to power in his family’s native Venezuela may have also played a role in swinging votes for Machado. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The odds of Machado winning surged from 3.75% to 72.8% just hours before the Nobel Committee officially informed Machado of her victory. One unusually prescient bettor won $65,000 gambling on the Venezuelan opposition figure. “It seems we have been prey to a criminal actor who wants to earn money on our information,” said Kristian Berg Harpviken, the head of the Nobel Institute.

Months later, The Nobel committee still has yet to conclude its investigation into the corruption scandal. As of publication, the committee did not respond to a request for comment by The Grayzone.

For what promotes itself as the world’s premiere peacemaking institution, it may be too late to undo the damage wrought by giving the Nobel Prize to an avowed champion of violent regime change.

“Using her elevated position as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado may well have” already “tipped the balance in favor of war,” Assange concluded. https://thegrayzone.com/2025/12/17/julian-assange-sweden-nobel-venezuelas-machado/

December 21, 2025 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Sweden | Leave a comment

Nordic nations’ Ukraine burden ‘unsustainable’ – Sweden.

Stockholm has criticized uneven cash injections from other bloc members, despite claims about backing Kiev “for as long as it takes”

RT Thu, 20 Nov 2025, https://www.sott.net/article/503063-Nordic-nations-Ukraine-burden-unsustainable-Sweden

It is unsustainable for Nordic countries to continue to pay a disproportionate amount to support Ukraine, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard has said in an interview with Politico. Rifts are widening inside the EU over how – and whether – to keep funding Kiev, according to the outlet.

Currently, Nordic and Baltic countries continue to contribute the most to Kiev relative to GDP, while larger EU economies trail far behind in proportional terms – a disparity Stockholm says the EU can no longer ignore.

In an interview published on Thursday, Stenergard claimed “a few countries take almost all of the burden,” calling the imbalance “not fair” and “not sustainable in the long run.”

She noted that the Nordic countries, with fewer than 30 million people, are expected to provide a third of NATO’s military aid to Ukraine this year. “It’s not reasonable in any way. And it says a lot about what the Nordics do – but it says even more about what the others don’t do.”

Comment: The Swedish foreign minister forgets that the Nordic countries are doing it out of their own blindness to reality. If they feel it is unfair, then just stop handing over the Nordic taxpayers money to Ukraine.
Stenergard’s comments reflect mounting frustration in northern capitals despite continued rhetoric about backing Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” Politico reported.

Comment: They thought that “as long as it takes” wouldn’t last so long. In other words, it was just a nice sounding slogan without much thought to what it actually meant.
EU officials have reportedly circulated a document outlining three options for the bloc’s next package for Kiev – two involving increased cash injections from member states, and a third using proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets. Stenergard signaled that using the immobilized assets could be the only viable path, given resistance in parts of the bloc to deeper budget commitments.

Western nations froze about $300 billion in Russian central bank assets after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The EU has so far transferred over a billion from interest to Kiev.

The debate comes as Ukraine faces a $100 million corruption scandal uncovered this month, in which anti-corruption agencies accused Timur Mindich – a former business partner of Vladimir Zelensky – of siphoning kickbacks from contracts with nuclear operator Energoatom, a company heavily dependent on foreign aid

The scandal broke just as Kiev is pushing for a new €140 billion ($160 billion) loan backed by frozen Russian assets, a plan stalled for weeks amid legal worries and Belgian resistance, with Moscow dismissing any use of its assets as “theft.”

Comment: So the Swedes want to steal Russian assets because they couldn’t really afford to support the black hole of Ukraine forever. They are now realizing that the money they gave to Ukraine will never come back and there wont be Russian resources to plunder. If they steal Russian frozen assets in Belgium, then the Euro will be relegated to the history of failed fiat currencies.

November 23, 2025 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Sweden, Ukraine | Leave a comment

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