Sweden has turned to US scientists to help it pull off a shift to clean energy that will involve generating more nuclear power.
A new US-Sweden agreement opens the door for collaboration on nuclear physics, fusion and energy research.
It was symbolically signed at the site of Sweden’s first nuclear research reactor from the 1950s, known as R1, on Tuesday.
Sweden has not opened a nuclear plant since the 1980s but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has set his sights on building new reactors.
Parliament last week changed Sweden’s clean power target from “100 per cent renewable” to “100 per cent fossil-free”, a change of phrasing that allows for nuclear power to be included.
Ministers have moved to scrap a law that prevents new reactors from being built unless they are on the site of a previous one.
Sweden currently has six nuclear reactors that meet about 30 per cent of its electricity demand. The US has 92.
The agreement with the US provides for “scientific and technological co-operation” in areas including advanced computing, biological research and high-energy physics as well as nuclear issues, the Swedish government said.
It allows Swedish scientists to use or loan American equipment and vice versa.
“In the energy area, we need to collaborate with the best partners to identify and develop ways of addressing the growing need for clean and green energy production,” said Swedish Education Minister Mats Persson.
“This is why I’m very pleased that Sweden is now strengthening its energy research co-operation with the United States.”
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, who signed the deal for the US energy department, said Washington “looks forward to working closer with our Swedish colleagues”.
Atomic energy divides opinion among European countries.
Sweden is part of a “nuclear alliance” led by France that wants to put fission at the heart of the EU’s clean energy drive, emphasising its reliability and lack of carbon emissions.
Opponents such as Germany and Austria, who do not use nuclear on safety grounds, have lobbied against its inclusion in EU green energy plans, arguing it should not count as renewable.
Some countries including Sweden have shifted tack since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed a reliance on imported gas in much of Europe.
Belgium has extended the lifetime of its nuclear plants by 10 years to 2035, while Germany allowed its last three reactors to run for four extra months after a long-planned 2022 end date.
The Swedish government elected last autumn says nuclear power is needed to replace fossil fuels with a larger, “plannable” electricity supply.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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