Centre-left urges nuclear energy phase out
Switzerland’s two centre-left parties have called on the government to present a plan for an opt-out from atomic energy in the wake the nuclear accident in Japan.
The Social Democrats and the Greens have demanded that the three older reactors of Beznau I and II and Mühleberg be shut down as quickly as possible, saying they are not safe. The other two plants, Leibstadt and Gösgen, should be taken off the grid in the medium term, they said.
The parties want the government to boost the promotion of renewable energy resources and energy-saving measures instead. Energy policy is expected to be discussed in a special session of parliament in June.
They welcomed a statement by Energy Minister Doris Leuthard on Monday to re-examine safety in Swiss nuclear plants and to suspend temporarily requests for replacement facilities.
Leuthard’s centre-right Christian Democratic Party also hailed the move, adding that further decisions over Switzerland’s energy policy could be taken once details of the nuclear disaster in Japan were known.
However, the rightwing People’s Party and the centre-right Radicals have accused Leuthard of rushing into her decision.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
Contributions under this article have been turned off. You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.