Venstre vil ophæve 40 års forbud mod atomkraft

The ruling Liberal Party declares its willingness to lift the ban on nuclear power in Denmark, which has existed since 1985. This is stated by Chairman Troels Lund Poulsen (V).

- Specifically, Liberal Party will work to abolish the ban from 1985, which means that nuclear power by definition must not be included in Danish energy planning.

- At the same time, we will work to remove any barriers to research into nuclear power technologies in Denmark, he says in a written comment to Ritzau.

On Friday, the government partner, the Moderates, also announced their readiness to abolish the ban on nuclear power. Blue parties such as the Liberal Alliance, the Conservatives and the Danish People's Party are also in favor of abolishing the ban, while the largest government party, the Social Democrats, is against it.

Troels Lund Poulsen points out that the discussion about nuclear power will have to have a different starting point than 40 years ago. That was when the Swedish nuclear power plant Barsebäckværket was still in operation, only 20 kilometers from Copenhagen.

Opposition to nuclear power increased further in April 1986, when a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the then Soviet Union, leaving a trail of death and destruction in the years that followed. Today, however, the technologies used to develop nuclear power are different, says the Liberal Party chairman.

- If we lift the ban on nuclear power, we can also provide better opportunities for Danish companies to develop test facilities in Denmark.

- Nuclear power is a green energy source that already plays a major role in the European energy system, and which the world needs if we are to achieve global climate goals and ensure stable and cost-effective energy supply, says Troels Lund Poulsen.

The public's opposition to nuclear power is far less today than it was 40 years ago. The Liberal Party chairman also sees nuclear power as a way to free itself from dependence on gas from Russia, which has been waging war against neighboring Ukraine for over three years.

- The uncertainty in the world means that more than ever we need stable, cheap and not least green energy.

- Therefore, we should not rule out green technologies in advance that can make access to green energy more accessible, he says.

jel /ritzau/