The Swiss government is considering lifting the ban on constructing new nuclear power plants, a decision that was made in a 2017 referendum. At that time, 58.2 percent of voters supported the ban to focus on renewable energy sources.
However, Energy Minister Albert Rösti has announced a possible reform of the Nuclear Energy Act, which could overturn this ban.
The government justifies this potential change with the need for technological openness and the importance of ensuring reliable domestic electricity production year-round.
As reported by Tagesschau, the future of Switzerland's energy supply remains uncertain, particularly because it is unclear whether the expansion of renewable energies can happen quickly enough to offset the reduction in nuclear power.
Currently, around a third of Switzerland’s electricity comes from nuclear power plants.
The government emphasizes that there are no concrete plans to build new nuclear power plants at this time, but they stress the importance of being prepared if the need arises in the future.
This potential policy shift has already sparked resistance from the Greens and the Swiss Energy Foundation, who view it as contradicting the will of the people.
