Last week, the Danish Parliament overwhelmingly voted for a resolution to reverse the nuclear power ban. With this reversal comes the admission that wind and solar alone cannot guarantee grid reliability.
Denmark is reconsidering its 40-year ban on nuclear power, with parliament voting overwhelmingly (102-8) to overturn the 1985 phase-out law, signalling a shift toward a more resilient energy mix.
Despite being a global leader in wind energy (generating over 50 per cent of its electricity) and solar power, Denmark acknowledges that intermittent renewables alone cannot ensure grid reliability.
The Government is evaluating small modular reactors (“SMRs”) as a complementary solution to renewables, with Energy Minister Lars Aagaard emphasising the need to assess their societal and technical feasibility.
Denmark’s move reflects broader European energy security concerns, with countries like Germany, Italy and Spain also reassessing nuclear power after blackouts and gas shortages exposed vulnerabilities in renewable-dependent grids.
High electricity prices (€0.3763/kWh) and the need for stable baseload power are driving Denmark’s pragmatic pivot, balancing decarbonisation goals with grid reliability – a lesson for nations over-reliant on wind and solar.
Long hailed as a global leader in renewable energy, Denmark has stunned environmental advocates by considering a reversal of its 40-year ban on nuclear power.
The Folketing, Denmark’s Parliament, paved the way for this overturn of the policy first enacted in 1985 – a year before the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. The legislature voted 102-8 to end a nuclear phase-out law that took effect in 2003. This move signals a strategic pivot toward a more resilient energy mix and underscores the challenges of relying solely on wind and solar for a stable electricity grid.
For decades, Denmark has been the poster child for wind energy. Wind turbines generated over 50 per cent of the country’s electricity and an additional 10 per cent came from solar panels...<<<Read More>>>