Sweden to produce all its electricity from renewables by 2040

• 8 years ago (2016-10-27)
• David Flin

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Anne Nilsson, Director General of the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate, has said that Sweden was on track to produce all its energy from renewable resources by 2040.

At present, renewable sources account for 57 per cent of Sweden’s production of 159 TWh. Much of the rest comes from nuclear power stations. In 2013 alone, renewable energy investment in Sweden was estimated at over $1 billion.

Over 35 per cent of Swedish power production comes from 10 nuclear reactors in three power stations. There is little likelihood of any new reactors being built, and four of the ten reactors are being phased out.

Nilsson said: “Nuclear is quite an expensive energy source due to safety regulations and funding for long-term nuclear waste management, among other things. Renewables, on the other hand, are cheaper and cheaper to commission and to run. This, together with low wholesale prices, will make it less likely that new nuclear plants will replace the remaining ones when they are phased out due to old age.”

In 2010, wind power accounted for only 2.4 per cent of power production. By 2012, it had risen to 5 per cent. It has now doubled again to 10 per cent. Sweden had been working towards a target of a 50 per cent share in production by renewables by 2020, but it passed that target in 2014.

Sweden is also reducing its use of fossil fuels. It is aiming for a fossil fuel free vehicle fleet by 2030. In 2013, the bus fleets in over a dozen cities ran on biomethane.