Some 58.2% of voters in a referendum on 21 May 2017 backed a ban on the construction of new nuclear plants, according to provisional results published on the federal government’s website. Switzerland’s five existing commercial nuclear reactor units can, however, continue to operate as long as they are deemed safe.
Nuclear plants produced 34% of the country’s electricity in 2016. The vote was to approve the federal government’s 2050 energy strategy. The strategy includes plans to decommission Switzerland’s five reactors as they reach the end of their operational lifespans.
Since all of Switzerland’s nuclear plants have open-ended operating licences, there is no clear cut-off date determining when they should be shut down. In November 2016, Swiss voters narrowly rejected a much faster exit from nuclear power under a timetable proposed by the Green party to phase out nuclear power production completely by 2029, with the first plants shutting next year.
Switzerland’s five nuclear units are Beznau-1 and -2, Mühleberg, Gösgen and Leibstadt.
The Swiss government has argued that increased safety standards meant it was no longer cost-effective to build nuclear power plants, pointing out that the new £18bn (€20.8bn, $23.4bn) Hinkley Point C nuclear station in the UK would use public subsidies.
Opponents to the nuclear phaseout warned, however, that the government’s plans to push renewables and energy savings were costly, posed risks to energy security and would not be environmentally friendly.
