Denmark’s centrist government has announced a year-long study into revoking its 40-year prohibition on nuclear energy, according to Lars Aagaard, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities. The inquiry will examine the viability of incorporating SMRs into Denmark’s electricity mix, ensuring any deployment meets rigorous safety and societal standards.
Despite being a world leader in wind power with one of Europe’s highest shares of renewables Denmark still relies on coal, natural gas and interconnectors to Sweden and Norway to prevent supply gaps. Last month’s outage in Spain and Portugal has intensified debate over the need for a stable, non-fossil baseload.
Neighbouring Sweden is already debating life-extension and new builds at its three operating reactors, part of a broader Nordic trend reconsidering nuclear’s role. In contrast, Denmark shut its lone research reactor in 2001 and legislated against commercial nuclear plants in 1985, with radioactive waste stored near Copenhagen pending a permanent repository by 2073.
Opposition parties have pushed for an immediate policy reversal, setting up a parliamentary debate this week. Aagaard noted that while SMRs promise factory-built simplicity and faster construction than traditional plants, policymakers must fully understand their implications for communities, environment and energy security.
Former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, now a NATO secretary-general alumnus, criticized the ban as “outdated,” arguing that reliable, low-carbon baseload power is essential alongside intermittent wind and solar. Investor interest is already emerging: tech entrepreneur Joachim Ante’s new €350 million fund aims to back advanced nuclear developers and supply chains, building on early stakes in Swedish and Finnish SMR startups.
Key challenges remain, including siting reactors and managing long-term waste. Large reactors have faced ballooning costs and delays worldwide Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 plant opened 14 years late and at nearly four times its budget highlighting why Denmark’s careful, year-long evaluation may be critical to any future nuclear renaissance.
