Germany remains nuclear power market actor with Uniper stakes in Swedish reactors

Germany’s state-owned energy supplier Uniper will continue to have a stake in nuclear plants abroad even after the end of the technology’s use in Germany on 15 April 2023, meaning the country remains an actor in the nuclear power market beyond its long-planned phase-out, the manager magazin reported. Uniper, which had come under state control after incurring massive financial losses due to the collapse of Russian gas supplies to Europe in 2022, co-owns three nuclear power plants in Sweden. “There are no plans to separate from the nuclear plants in Sweden,” a Uniper spokesperson said, adding that the company “is a reliable operator of its nuclear plants.” Together with local partners, the company plans to further invest in a research reactor in Sweden to investigate the feasibility for using novel Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology, with the goal of “continuing to provide industry and society with non-fossil electricity in a stable, cost efficient and climate-friendly way,” the company said on its website.

At the end of 2022 the German government paved the way for a nationalisation of Uniper, with the state becoming a majority shareholder in the company after paying eight billion euros and preparing another capital injection of 25 billion euros to keep the company afloat. Uniper is Germany’s most important natural gas importer and also takes part in building up a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import infrastructure that is meant to make the country independent of Russian supplies.