The application process for companies wishing to apply for state aid to invest in new nuclear power

State aid can only be granted to companies whose activities are limited to construction and operation of the new nuclear energy reactors for which companies apply for aid. No other activities can be conducted by the company.  Existing companies with ongoing activities that wish to apply for aid must therefore establish separate project companies to this end.

The application process consists of two steps: the first step is mandatory for all applicants, and the second step only applies to applicants deemed suitable to proceed in the application process. Requirements on the content of an application are regulated in the Ordinance on state aid for investment in new nuclear power.

1. First step of the application process – for all applicants

Applications for state aid must be submitted in writing to the Government via the email address of the secretariat on this page. Application documents should be submitted in duplicate: one in an editable format such as MS Word and one in Portable Document Format (PDF). The application must be signed by an authorised signatory of the applicant company. Application documents should be submitted with the following structure:

The company and its activities

The company’s corporate identity number or other identity number and its articles of association.

The company’s owners.

The company’s ownership structure and the three previous annual reports for each owner with a qualified holding.

The particulars of the ownership structure should be detailed in a schematic drawing of the chain of ownership and, if necessary, an explanatory text. Ownership shares and voting shares must be specified as a percentage of shares issued and total votes. If the parent company has been in operation for less than three years, annual reports for the entire period of operation must be submitted.

Not all intended owners need to be actual owners before submission of an application for state aid. The owners of the company at the time of application must be specified according to the requirements in the ordinance. There is no obstacle to the applicant company identifying intended owners, but this is not a requirement.

Company management

The application must include details about the board of directors, managing director and deputy managing director and their relevant credentials for their duties. This information serves as a basis for determining an applicant company’s suitability based on integrity and experience.

The project plan

The application must include details about the planned location of nuclear reactors, conditions for connection to the electricity grid and disposal over the location. 

The alternatives that are under consideration as regards reactor technology and model must also be indicated. In this context, ‘reactor technology’ concerns the choice between large-scale reactors and small modular reactors, and light water technology versus new innovative technology. ‘Reactor model’ refers to a specific plant design from a specific provider.

An implementation plan must outline time frames for preparatory measures, construction, test operations and routine operation, and decommissioning and waste management, and the key measures involved in each stage.

An overall account must specify the work the company carries out to reduce the economic risks that it can influence in the implementation of the project.

The share capital that each owner is expected to invest must also be indicated.

The applicant company must indicate which stage of the permit process it has reached in accordance with the Nuclear Activities Act and the Swedish Environmental Code.

This information, together with relevant publicly available information, is deemed sufficient for an initial assessment of an application.

2. Second step of the application process – supplementary information for applicants deemed suitable to proceed

If it is deemed that the potential project can proceed in the application process, the Government Offices will ask the company to provide additional information on the planned investment alternatives. This concerns the estimated electricity production and expected nuclear reactor operating period, and estimated costs for project planning and other preparatory measures, construction, test operations and annual operating expenses.

The company may also be required to supplement its application with proof of the suitability of individuals in the company management and of owners with a qualified holding. The Government Offices may also request supplementary information on owners that do not have qualified share holdings.

3. Negotiations between the Government and the company

The next step in the process is negotiations between the Government and the relevant company on the conditions and scope of the state aid. Within the Government, Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman is responsible for the state aid.

Negotiations are held by the secretariat for financing new nuclear energy at the Ministry of Finance.

The subject of the negotiations is a loan agreement and a contract for difference, and the risk- and profit-sharing conditions. The loan agreement concerns the percentage loaned, amount of the loan and term of the loan. The contract for difference concerns the exercise price, reference capacity and duration of contract. Negotiations on how risk is allocated between the State and project company and a proportional interval for returns on equity result in the risk- and profit-sharing mechanism. 

It may be necessary to negotiate state co-ownership, wherein the State is part of the company’s capital structure.

4. State aid review by the European Commission

State aid provided to companies seeking to invest in new nuclear reactors is subject to the EU rules for state aid. Approval by the European Commission is therefore a prerequisite for the Government to provide state aid.

Any state aid that the Government intends to provide to a company and the detailed terms and conditions of said aid must be reported to the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) of the European Commission. This takes place once the Government and applicant company have concluded their negotiations.

DG COMP has conducted a preliminary analysis of the principles of the Swedish state aid model and identified no fundamental obstacles that would render it incompatible with the EU provisions on state aid. Read more about state aid:

State aid (in Swedish)

The European Commission will be updated on an ongoing basis and given the opportunity to comment starting at the time of negotiations between the Government and applicant company. This should reduce the need for supplemental information after an application has been submitted. 

As regards state aid for nuclear energy, the Commission is expected to initiate a formal examination procedure, wherein Member States and other concerned parties are also given the opportunity to comment. The state aid process will proceed insofar as the parties can accept the changes that may be necessary based on the Commission’s standpoint.

5. Decisions on state aid

Once the Commission has approved the state aid, the Government can take a decision to provide it to the company. The Government’s decision on state aid cannot be appealed.

The Government’s authority to decide on state aid is subject to Riksdag decisions on both legislation and financing. The Riksdag enacted the legislation in May 2025, and the Government will exercise the financial powers in future economic bills.

Before the Government can take a decision on state aid, the applicant company must also furnish proof that it has applied for the necessary permits for construction of new nuclear power reactors in accordance with the Nuclear Activities Act and the Swedish Environmental Code. The permit process is separate from the application for state aid. More information about this is available on the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority website:

Permits for nuclear installations – Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (in Swedish) - external website,