The Energy Regulation and Markets Review - Stikeman Elliott

Sweden
aspect that most certainly contributed to the government’s policy change was a shift in
public opinion in favour of continuing nuclear power in Sweden.
After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan 11 March 2011 and the following
Fukushima nuclear accident, the interest in replacing existing nuclear reactors seems
to be low among nuclear companies. It must, however, be kept in mind that the 10
existing nuclear reactors in Sweden were put into operation between 1972 and 1985,
which makes the reactors quite old in an international context. Due to Sweden’s current
dependency on nuclear power, it is likely that in the near future there will be initiatives
in Sweden aiming to replace them.
For several years there has been a discussion in Sweden about the lack of
competition on the district heating market. As a consequence, the government set up
a TPA (third-party access) inquiry tasked with drawing up a regulatory framework for
third-party access to district heating networks. The inquiry presented its proposal for
regulated third-party access in spring 2011, which entailed an obligation for network
owners to allow access to producers or network owners wishing to distribute district
heating production. In a public consultation, the proposed TPA was criticised and the
proposal is therefore subject to further investigation. The government, however, has
publicly stated that a regulated TPA should be implemented in the district heating
market in order to improve competition.
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