Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has criticized the Social Democrats for their 'reckless' proposals on offshore wind power, following the collapse of energy negotiations. Despite the setback, Kristersson assures that there is strong support for nuclear power in Sweden. Energy Minister Ebba Busch expressed regret over the failed talks, attributing the breakdown to political strategists. The Social Democrats, led by Magdalena Andersson, have denied the accusations, emphasizing the need for dialogue with the military on wind power development.
Kristersson Criticizes Social Democrats Over Failed Energy Talks
Kristersson Criticizes Social Democrats Over Failed Energy Talks
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has entered the debate on the collapsed energy negotiations. According to him, the Social Democrats made 'reckless' proposals regarding offshore wind power, which the party has denied.
"That's incorrect, we have it on paper," Ulf Kristersson stated in Expressen's podcast "Viktor möter" with Viktor Barth-Kron.
On Thursday, Energy Minister Ebba Busch (KD) announced that there will be no broad energy agreement, despite demands from the business sector.
In Expressen's podcast "Viktor möter" with Viktor Barth-Kron, Ulf Kristersson spoke for the first time after the announcement. He believes that the negotiations have still made some progress.
"I think the business sector can be quite calm about this. In practice, we have shown that there is strong support for nuclear power in Sweden," Ulf Kristersson said in the podcast.
Ebba Busch regretted the collapse of the negotiations and pointed out that 'party strategists' got involved because they wanted to keep energy policy as a conflict issue in the election.
The Prime Minister is not as disheartened.
"I have been skeptical all along that there would be a major agreement," Kristersson said.
Reports: SD as a Roadblock
Magdalena Andersson has said that the Social Democrats presented a list of inputs for the negotiations a month ago, without receiving a response. The S-leader interprets this as the Tidö parties having difficulty reaching an agreement.
According to Expressen's information, SD's opposition to offshore wind power has also been a roadblock in the negotiations.
But Ulf Kristersson says in "Viktor möter" that it was the Social Democrats who made unreasonable proposals, such as reconsidering the Defense Forces' decision to reject offshore wind—a move the Prime Minister describes as 'reckless.'
"To be specific, the Social Democrats had inputs to overturn decisions where we say we should not build offshore wind towards Kaliningrad, because the Defense Forces strongly advise against it.
The Social Democrats deny this?
"That's incorrect, we have it on paper. There is no doubt about it, they wanted to overturn those decisions and also wanted to question local vetoes regarding onshore wind power," Ulf Kristersson said in the podcast.
Magdalena Andersson has previously stated that the Social Democrats want a dialogue with the Defense Forces about whether there is anywhere along the coast where offshore wind power can be built.
"But of course, we would never make ultimate demands that wind power should be built in a way that compromises the safety of the Swedish people. It's bizarre," the S-leader said at a press conference on Thursday.