Nuclear power in Denmark (nonfiction)

Denmark is currently [June 2026] reversing its 40-year ban on nuclear energy to officially investigate the potential of new nuclear technologies, specifically focusing on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

Despite passing a parliamentary resolution in 1985 that strictly prohibited building nuclear power plants, Denmark's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities established a formal framework in January 2026 to study the safety, regulations, and costs of SMRs. This political pivot is strongly supported by a newly formed coalition—the Danish Nuclear Power Alliance—backed by major industrial unions and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

While the Danish government conducts its legal and regulatory assessment, Denmark has already become home to two globally prominent private companies pioneering next-generation SMR technology:

1. Copenhagen Atomics

This company specializes in mass-manufacturable thorium molten salt reactors designed to fit entirely inside standard 40-foot shipping containers.

The Technology: Unlike traditional uranium reactors, Copenhagen Atomics utilizes liquid thorium fuel mixed with heavy water as a moderator, which drastically reduces long-term radioactive waste and operates at low atmospheric pressure to eliminate explosion risks.

Business Model: They utilize an "energy-as-a-service" framework, offering a single reactor unit for a flat $50 million fee plus $2 million annually for fuel and maintenance.Timeline: Because Denmark lacks a domestic nuclear regulatory authority, the company is scheduled to test its first full-scale prototype reactor in Switzerland.

2. Saltfoss Energy (Formerly Seaborg Technologies)

Founded by physicists out of the Niels Bohr Institute, this Copenhagen-based deep-tech startup builds Compact Molten Salt Reactors (CMSRs).

The Technology: Saltfoss Energy utilizes low-enriched uranium mixed into a liquid fluoride salt slurry. If an emergency occurs and power fails, a frozen salt plug at the bottom of the reactor automatically melts, safely draining the radioactive material into cooled tanks where it naturally hardens.

Deployment: Instead of land-based structures, they are designing modular floating power barges. These sea-based barges can house multiple units to deliver between 200 and 800 megawatts of electricity directly to coastal cities or industrial hubs.

Timeline: The company is currently targeting the first half of the 2030s for its inaugural reactor deployment.

Source: Google