This project considers the role of civil society and non-governmental diplomatic actors in shaping and scrutinising Swedish plans for a final repository for nuclear waste.
In January 2022, the Swedish government made a landmark decision to grant a license for constructing a final repository for nuclear waste in Forsmark. This decision acknowledged the urgent need for long-term storage solutions for highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel. However, since this decision, key civil society organisations involved in nuclear oversight have been defunded. As a result, less is known today about how non-governmental actors continue to participate in, influence, and oversee nuclear waste governance in Sweden. This project addresses this problem by considering how and whether diplomatic actors contribute to the oversight and decision-making processes related to the Forsmark final repository for nuclear waste, as well as analysing how their involvement shapes public awareness of the associated risks and opportunities.
Governing Final Repositories for Nuclear Waste
Final repositories for nuclear waste are underground facilities designed to permanently contain spent nuclear fuel without the need for human monitoring. Sweden’s final repository is currently being developed in Forsmark in Östhammar municipality – around 140 km north of Stockholm. The engineered barriers used to isolate the waste underground are expected by experts to function for at least 100,000 years. Yet, given that no human-made structure has lasted for 100,000 years, there is deep uncertainty about how well these repositories will endure. Managing these risks is not only a technical challenge but also a political one, requiring long-term governance strategies. This issue is particularly urgent given the renewed interest in nuclear energy as a low-carbon energy source in Sweden and Europe.
Politics and Nuclear Waste Futures
This study explores how civil society actors in Sweden engage with the management of final repositories for nuclear waste into the future. The project examines their ability to infor and influence nuclear waste policies; scrutinize and critique government decisions; and support or challenge state-led initiatives on nuclear waste disposal. This study will thus generate new knowledge about the evolving role of civil society in nuclear diplomacy. It will provide insights into how Sweden’s 2023 decision to defund key nuclear civil society organisations has affected public participation and oversight in nuclear waste governance. And by examining these issues, we aim to strengthen these processes of decision-making and contribute to more transparent and accountable governance of final repositories for nuclear waste.
Please contact a member of the research team if you have any questions or input into this work.
The project is funded by Mistra, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, 2025-2027.
