France eyes Swiss money for new nuclear power plants

France plans six new nuclear power plants by 2050. KEYSTONE/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

France wants Switzerland to help foot the bill for building six new nuclear power plants by 2050, reports the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.

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Power from the French plants will be exported to neighbouring countries, so France believes those countries should help pay help pay for their construction.

+ Explainer: is nuclear energy poised for a Swiss comeback?

According to NZZ am Sonntag, this idea was mooted by French foreign ministry officials during a press briefing with European journalists at the end of March.

“France considers it opportune that countries that do not want to have new nuclear power plants themselves, but would like to import nuclear power from France, should contribute to the costs of building the planned new nuclear power plants in France,” an official is quoted by the newspaper.

Further enquiries confirmed that this message also applies to Switzerland, which decided in 2011 to phase out its own nuclear power stations after the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

In 2017, 58% of Swiss citizens validated this decision when they voted to gradually decommission the country’s five existing nuclear power plants, ban the construction of new ones and adopt a new law – Energy Strategy 2050 – that promotes renewables.

France’s financing proposal has been met with a mixed reaction in Switzerland.

The “Stop the blackout” initiative committee, which wants to lift the nuclear power plant ban in Switzerland, said it’s a good idea to “keep all options open” that could “strengthen energy security”.

But the large Swiss energy provider Alpiq voiced strong opposition. “Alpiq has no interest in investing in new French nuclear power plants,” said a spokesperson.