Costs for electricity are set to rise
Energy Minister Doris Leuthard says that future energy costs in Switzerland will be higher, whether the country invests in nuclear power or alternative sources.
In an interview with Saturday’s edition of the Geneva newspaper, Le Temps, Leuthard argued that safety rather than cost would be the determining factor.
She said the nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima in Japan had not “ruined” her confidence in atomic power but noted that many questions had to be asked now that were not put before.
“We have to give precise answers which rely on facts and not on emotions,” she said.
Leuthard admitted that it would be difficult at present for Swiss voters to accept plans for any new nuclear power plant in Switzerland.
“But we cannot simply say that we want to abandon nuclear energy. We have to analyse the consequences of supplying the country [with energy]¨.
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.