Published 09.52
KARLSHAMN. Now Karlshamn is voting on nuclear power or not.
The referendum was forced after the top politician decided that the municipality should be prepared for nuclear power.
– Completely insane. I got terribly angry, says Anna Frantzén, a resident of Guö in Karlshamn.
Two years ago took Karlshamns strong man, ks chairman Magnus Gärdebring (M), a decision to apply for state funds to investigate nuclear power establishment.
It made the opposition see red.
After a petition of 4,300 signatures, residents of Karlshamn will now be able to vote on the issue. On Sunday, the residents of Karlshamn vote on the future establishment of nuclear power – or not – in the municipality.
– It’s good that people can say what they think and not just get run over, says Britta Friström, 67 years old.
Britta Friström sits with two friends and their dogs in the square in Karlshamn. She still hasn’t quite decided how to vote. On the one hand, she trusts modern nuclear power quite a lot – on the other hand, she is worried that the municipality hasn’t thought of everything.
– I am worried about putting it so close to the sea. The water will rise – do they know how to handle it? Why don’t they put new nuclear power where there already is?
Her friend, however, has made up her mind.
– I’m in favor. I think it’s good for the environment, says Britt-Marie Karlsson 70, and pats her miniature poodle Zoe.
“Can’t trust it”
A few minutes later, 56-year-old Anssaf Mohamed passes by in the square with her daughter. She will vote no. She is surprised by the municipal management’s will and believes that there are many other types of energy to choose from – which are safer.
– Even if it is modern, you cannot trust 100 percent that nothing will happen. The human factor is always there, says Anssaf Mohamed.
A stone’s throw away, flags fly outside the Town Hall. They inform that you can vote early on the issue. One of those who took the opportunity to vote on Thursday was 48-year-old Sanne Erlandsson. She voted no.
– I am worried about what to do with what is left of nuclear power. And what is left for our children and grandchildren, Sanne Erlandsson.
Inside the Town Hall, Magnus Gärdebring (M), chairman of the municipal board receives Aftonbladet’s team. He hopes that someone wants to build a nuclear power plant in the municipality in the future. Therefore, he ensured that the municipality applied for money to investigate an establishment.
– That is why it was a chairman’s decision. I stand for that and the administrative court has given me the right to do so.
Shouldn’t you have asked the citizens already then?
– No, then we didn’t know if it was even possible. Therefore, we applied to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for funds that were available.
What do you think Karlshamn would benefit from if there was nuclear power here?
– Unbelievably much. We talk about jobs, but the most important thing is a stable energy supply. That Karlshamn can participate and contribute. We need to double our electricity production by 2045, says Magnus Gerdebring (M).
He is supported by SD’s Björn Tenland Nurhadi, chairman of the KF. According to Tenland Nurhadi, Karlshamn needs a better energy supply to be attractive to industries. Otherwise, there will be a cut in the electricity supply for the industries, he believes.
Tenland Nurhadi for a detailed reasoning about the energy flow.
– We can’t get it here (large industries red’s note) because we don’t have anyone If we had kept Barsebäck, we would not have had a need for turning mass, says Björn Tenland Nurhadi.
It sounds like every city that wants big industries needs a nuclear power plant. It can’t be like that, can it?
– No, but on the other hand you need stability in the network, says Björn Tenland Nurhadi.
– On Gotland, for example, you need synchronous compensators for the electricity grid because they have wind turbines and other energy sources.
Fear: routine discharge
The Social Democrats in Karlshamn believe that nuclear power should be built where it already exists.
– There is infrastructure, knowledge and local acceptance, says Ida Lapell (S), opposition councillor.
Building a completely new nuclear power plant in Karlshamn would take too long and be too expensive, she believes.
– Established by the sea, we have a coast that is perfect for I would like to see more wind, sun and water and then the bottlenecks can be removed, says Ida Lappell (S), opposition councilor.
44-year-old Charlott Lorentzen (MP) is very worried about what an establishment would cost and how the uranium would affect the environment.
– One of the things we did before the referendum was to bring a professor from Chalmers, Tomas Kåberger. Then an expression called routine discharge came up. It’s a new concern for me.
– There is very little you can release. But there are measurements that show that it has an effect around the nuclear power plant, says Charlott Lorentzen.
Can’t sleep
On the idyllic Guö peninsula, a few kilometers from the center, live some of those who are the biggest opponents of getting nuclear power to Karlshamn. Namely, the peninsula is one of the six areas identified as possible locations for a facility.
– I got terribly angry. I didn’t think it was true. After that I couldn’t sleep at night, says Anna Frantzén, 60 years old.
She points out that Guö is only a few hundred meters from the sensitive nature reserve Tjärö. In addition, there is no infrastructure at all on the peninsula. The establishment of a nuclear power plant would devastate the peninsula, she believes.
– We have a small winding dirt road that goes here. Here is the most beautiful archipelago environment imaginable.
Anna Frantzén believes that most people do not understand how large the construction of a smaller nuclear power plant would be.
– The entire area will be 15 hectares. The company, Kärnfull next, has also said that they are not building fewer than two reactors in the same place. It would devastate the whole of Guö, he says.
She thinks it is good to have a referendum on the issue. Even if it stirs up the emotions again.
– It’s coming back now. I’ve had trouble sleeping again.
This is voted on:
Now residents in Karlshamn municipality are voting yes or no to future nuclear power.
The municipal council has previously said that Karlshamn could be a suitable location for nuclear power in the future.
In the referendum, residents can answer the following question:
Do you want the municipality of Karlshamn to say yes or no to nuclear power in the municipality if the issue is raised in the future?
You can choose between three answers:
This is a synchronous compensator:
Synchronous compensators are used to tie together electricity from different sources. The technology enables more renewable energy sources to be connected. The synchronous compensators help maintain voltage quality. It reduces serious errors and can strengthen a weak network. Source: https://www.dagensnaringsliv.se/20240114/217855/sikronkompensatorer-natflexibilitet
