Swiss government open to reversing ban on new nuclear plants

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The Federal Council is backtracking on a ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants that was passed by voters in 2017.

On Wednesday, the government rejected the “Electricity for all at all times (stop the blackout)” initiative but indicated that it supports in principle the lifting of the ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants.

The initiative states that all forms of environmentally and climate-friendly electricity generation should be permitted. The proponents want to reopen the door to nuclear power by focusing on new technologies.

The government intends to encourage openness to different technologies in order to “plan responsibly for security of electricity supply”. The current ban on building new nuclear power stations is not compatible with this objective.

However, the government rejected the initiative because the constitution already provides for a diversified energy supply. A change in the law would suffice, which is why the government intends to draw up an indirect counter-proposal by the end of the year.

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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