Novo Nordisk Foundation Chair Lars Rebien Sørensen is open to future investments in nuclear power, reports Danish media Finans. 

Rebien Sørensen regards nuclear power as a crucial source for helping Denmark to achieve its net CO₂-neutrality target while also maintaining stable energy supply.

”The more I dive into it, the more components I see as being potentially relevant for the foundation and, down the line, our investment company,” says Rebien Sørensen to Finans.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation supports projects and initiatives that contribute to promoting health and sustainability, according to the website.

The foundation also holds majority interest the Novo group’s two listed enterprises, Novo Nordisk and Novozymes.

As reported in Finans’ article, Copenhagen Atomics and Seaborg’ work on developing scalable nuclear power plants using molten salt reactors has piqued the foundation’s interest.

Rebien Sørensen spearheads both the Novo Nordisk Foundation and its investment company Novo Holdings, giving him considerable influence on both grants and a potential investment.

Initially, however, he is open to awarding grants to support development of nuclear power innovation from a scientific angle. But he is also open to the possibility of an investment further down the line.

”We could, in principle, go in and invest in Seaborg and Copenhagen Atomics through our holding company given that we have venture capital available for it in the form of growth equity. Meaning that we enter companies faced with commercialization,” Rebien Sørensen states to Finans.

In a 2022 report, 16 scientists from five Danish universities noted that betting on nuclear power would be both slower and costlier than banking on renewables solar and wind power. 

Conversely, other scientists have emphasized that nuclear power could be crucial for generating power on days with neither sun nor wind, according to an article published by Videnskab.dk in 2022.