Danish climate minister says country won't build nuclear power plants

Possible nuclear power plants have recently been a topic of discussion in Denmark, with the Liberal Alliance party, an opposition right-wing party, a notable voice advocating nuclear as a potential Danish power source.

Climate minister Lars Aagaard of the Moderate party ruled out the option in comments to newspaper Børsen.

“Traditional nuclear power in Denmark is simply a no-go,” Aagaard said.

“With the knowledge I have about costs and options, that is, what it will require in terms of political discussions, authority capacity building, designation of areas, and electricity infrastructure, I perceive it as completely off the table for Denmark,” he said. 

Aagaard, the Minister for Climate, Energy and Critical Supplies, also said that the was no market argument for nuclear because “sun and wind are cheaper”.

Nuclear power plants would take longer to construct than facilities for technology which Denmark already uses.

A recent report from 16 scientists argued last year that nuclear power plants built in Western Europe were approximately twice as expensive as electricity from wind farms and solar cell plants. 

Nuclear power is “too expensive and too slow”, the was the conclusion of the researchers according to a report by Videnskab.dk.

“When you look at the facts we are presenting here, it is certain that if you want to do something quickly regarding green energy conversion, nuclear power is not the answer,” Aalborg University energy planner Henrik Lund told Videnskab at the time.

The report also noted that overheads for wind and solar power are falling, but increasing for nuclear.

“Electricity from new nuclear power constructed in Western Europe is currently around twice as expensive as electricity from Danish wind power plants and solar panel facilities, even if you assume an operating life for the nuclear power plant of 60 years,” states the October 2022 report.