Uranium mining

The plan makes long-term environmental considerations overriding to other legitimate interests and invests energy policy in greatly expanded renewable electricity, not in the nuclear fuel chain. Opening permits for uranium mining and enrichment to remove uncertainty for mining companies instead puts investor interests first. The party furthermore wants Sweden to sign the nuclear weapons convention, which speaks against domestic uranium production.

• environmental considerations overridingdecisive»de långsiktiga miljöhänsynen måste vara överordnade« (party programme ↗)“the long-term environmental considerations must be overriding”
• renewable energy as solution»Produktionen av både el och exempelvis vätgas behöver öka kraftigt när vi ställer om från användning av fossila bränslen, därför behöver staten gå in med satsningar på förnybar energi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The production of both electricity and for example hydrogen needs to increase greatly as we shift from use of fossil fuels, therefore the state needs to intervene with investments in renewable energy.”
• nuclear disarmament»Sverige ska öka biståndet, stärka FN och skriva under kärnvapenkonventionen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall increase aid, strengthen the UN and sign the nuclear weapons convention.”

The programme's line is that the energy system should be transitioned, that natural resources should be used more efficiently and that natural resources and ecosystems are already exploited beyond the limit of what is sustainable long-term. There is no support in the plan for opening uranium mining and enrichment. The election manifesto's message that there are no sacred cows in the energy question and that nuclear power is an important part of electricity production pulls in the opposite direction, so uncertainty is low.

• transitioned energy productiondecisive»Naturtillgångarna måste användas mer effektivt och energiproduktionen ställas om.« (party programme ↗)“Natural resources must be used more efficiently and energy production must be transitioned.”
• limits on resource extraction»naturtillgångar och ekosystem utnyttjas i dag över gränsen för det långsiktigt hållbara« (party programme ↗)“natural resources and ecosystems are today exploited beyond the limit of what is sustainable long-term”
• openness in energy questions»När det gäller att lösa Sveriges energibehov finns inga heliga kor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When it comes to solving Sweden's energy needs, there are no sacred cows.”
• nuclear power remains»Kärnkraften är en viktig del av svensk elproduktion och kommer att så vara under lång tid framöver.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Nuclear power is an important part of Swedish electricity production and will continue to be so for a long time to come.”

The party programme explicitly requires that uranium mining be prohibited in Sweden and points to the great risks of uranium mining and nuclear power operations, concluding that nuclear power has no place in a sustainable society. The mining industry should furthermore be based on long-term stewardship where environmental considerations weigh more than short-term extraction interests. Enabling permits for uranium mining and enrichment is therefore rejected.

• prohibition of uranium miningdecisive»infrastruktur. Gas- och oljeborrning samt uranbrytning ska förbjudas i Sverige. Torv ska betraktas som« (party programme ↗)“infrastructure. Gas and oil drilling and uranium mining shall be prohibited in Sweden. Peat shall be considered as”
• risks of uranium mining»också stora risker vid såväl uranbrytning som drift« (party programme ↗)“also great risks in both uranium mining and operations”
• nuclear power has no place here»inte hemma i ett hållbart samhälle. Vi motsätter oss« (party programme ↗)“has no place in a sustainable society. We oppose”
• environmental considerations before exploitation»mineraltillgångar. Miljöhänsyn ska väga tyngre än« (party programme ↗)“mineral resources. Environmental considerations shall weigh more than”

The party programme's energy line is a society with one hundred per cent renewable energy where the vision is a society without nuclear power, which argues against opening for uranium extraction and enrichment. The plan at the same time wants Sweden to extract more minerals and metals for the green transition, which pulls in the opposite direction for rare earth metals. Since the uranium issue is not addressed explicitly, the conclusion is derived and uncertain.

• society without nuclear powerdecisive»där Centerpartiets vision är ett samhälle utan kärnkraft« (party programme ↗)“where the Centre Party's vision is a society without nuclear power”
• completely renewable energy»Sverige har både möjlighet och skyldighet att inom mindre än en generation bli ett samhälle med hundra procent förnybar energi« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has both the ability and the duty to become a society with one hundred per cent renewable energy in less than a generation”
• Swedish mineral extraction»Det är bättre att Sverige tar ansvar och utvinner mer mineral och metaller istället för att fortsätta importera dem från länder med större klimatavtryck och sämre arbetsvillkor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is better that Sweden takes responsibility and extracts more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with greater carbon footprint and worse working conditions.”

The election manifesto is unambiguous about expanded nuclear power and explicitly wants to modernize the regulations surrounding it. A continued ban on uranium mining is such a regulatory obstacle, and the programme states that the state should facilitate expansion and to the greatest possible extent be neutral between energy sources that meet environmental and safety requirements. The plan therefore supports allowing permits for mining and enrichment, provided that environmental and safety requirements are maintained.

• new nuclear power is enableddecisive»möjliggöra fler nya reaktorer på fler ställen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“make it possible for more new reactors in more places”
• modernized nuclear power regulations»modernisera regelverken och ge kärnkraften betalt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“modernize the regulations and compensate nuclear power”
• nuclear power for the climate»Kärnkraften behövs för klimatets skull och för att minska världens utsläpp.« (party programme ↗)“Nuclear power is needed for the climate and to reduce the world's emissions.”
• environmental and safety requirements»För alla energislag ska finnas tydliga miljö- och säkerhetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“For all energy sources there shall be clear environmental and safety requirements.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto, which carries the greatest weight, binds the party to invest in nuclear power and expand with new reactors, which presupposes access to uranium fuel and stable conditions for extraction. The plan also requires a long-term energy policy with fixed rules and long-term rules for companies, which speaks for removing uncertainty for mining companies. Uranium mining is not explicitly addressed, and the stewardship principle's precautionary principle remains as a condition.

• expanded nuclear powerdecisive»Satsa på kärnkraften med långsiktiga villkor att utvecklas. Förläng befintliga reaktorers drift och bygg ut med nya reaktorer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in nuclear power with long-term conditions to develop. Extend the operation of existing reactors and expand with new reactors.”
• secured energy supply»Sveriges energiförsörjning ska tryggas genom en långsiktig energipolitik med fasta spelregler« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's energy supply must be secured through a long-term energy policy with fixed rules”
• long-term rules for companies»företagen är långsiktiga.« (party programme ↗)“companies are long-term.”
• caution in nature interventions»Utifrån förvaltarskapsprincipen måste försiktighetsprincipen vara« (party programme ↗)“From the stewardship principle, the precautionary principle must be”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's overriding commitment is that Sweden's rich mineral resources shall be extracted responsibly and that nuclear power shall be significantly expanded. Allowing permits for extraction and enrichment of uranium aligns with both the mineral commitment and the nuclear power line, and removes the uncertainty in permitting that the plan wants to eliminate. Uranium is not, however, mentioned explicitly.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably.”
• continued extraction of minerals»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska även fortsättningsvis kunna utvinnas på ett« (party programme ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall continue to be able to be extracted on a”
• expanded nuclear power central»I det läge Sverige har hamnat i på grund av dåliga politiska beslut kommer en utbyggnad av kärnkraften att vara helt central.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In the situation Sweden has ended up in because of poor political decisions, an expansion of nuclear power will be entirely central.”
• simplified permitting processes»vi förkorta och förenkla tillståndsprocesser för industrier som satsar på omställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we shorten and simplify permitting processes for industries that invest in transition”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants to actively create conditions for new nuclear power and at the same time make it simpler and faster to open mines and make the permitting processes for the mining industry more efficient. A continued ban on uranium mining is exactly the type of obstacle to raw material extraction that the plan criticizes. The counter-proposal's requirement to allow mining and enrichment, including for rare earth metals, therefore follows from the plan's line.

• faster mining permitsdecisive»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make mining permitting processes, grid expansion and industry more efficient and increase predictability”
• open more mines»Det behöver också bli enklare och gå snabbare att öppna gruvor för de mineraler som behövs för exempelvis tillverkning av batterier.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It also needs to become simpler and faster to open mines for the minerals needed for, for example, battery manufacturing.”
• new nuclear power»Skapa förutsättningar för ny kärnkraft i Sverige och en färdplan för byggandet av SMR-reaktorer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Create conditions for new nuclear power in Sweden and a roadmap for building SMR reactors”
• criticism of closed raw material policy»Gruvor får inte startas, fiskodlingar flyttas till våra grannländer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Mines are not allowed to start, fish farms are moved to our neighboring countries”