Norway’s Expert Committee Rejects Nuclear Power but Urges Building Knowledge for the Future

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:49:00 +0200

A government-appointed Norwegian Nuclear Committee has unanimously recommended that Norway should not pursue the development of nuclear power at this time. After a year and a half of study involving experts in physics, technology, economics, law, ethics, and social sciences, the committee concluded that nuclear energy remains too expensive, time-consuming, and beyond Norway’s current expertise. Their findings show that even under optimistic conditions, nuclear power would require electricity prices of at least NOK 1.13 (EUR 0.10) per kWh to be financially viable—far higher than Norway’s expected long-term prices of NOK 0.50–0.80. The committee warns that without drastic cost reductions of 70–80%, private investors would not find nuclear projects profitable, and government subsidies lack economic justification.

Moreover, the committee estimates that even if Norway were to approve nuclear power now, production would not realistically begin before the mid-2040s, meaning it would not cont