Swiss Senate backs new nuclear power plant construction
A majority in the responsible committee in the Swiss Senate would like to allow the construction of new nuclear power plants again. It has voted in favour of a counter-proposal to the Stop Blackout Initiative with a clear majority. The centre-left had vetoed the proposal during the consultation process.
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Swiss Senate backs new nuclear power plant construction
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In the Senate’s Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee (Urek-S), however, the majorities were clearly divided: By 10 votes to 2 with abstentions, it voted in favour of lifting the existing ban on general licences for new nuclear power plants, as reported by the parliamentary services on Tuesday. The Senate expected to deal with the topic in the spring.
A technology-neutral energy policy should ensure sufficient domestic production capacities for a secure and cost-effective power supply at all times, according to the press release. The possibility of building new nuclear power plants will expand the room for manoeuvre for future energy supply.
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Urek-S states in the press release that the indirect counter-proposal only creates the fundamental possibility of new nuclear power plants, but does not regulate their financing. However, it does not explicitly rule out subsidisation by the federal government.
Environmental organisations and the Green party sharply criticised the Commission’s decision, arguing it would impact the energy transition. The Swiss Energy Foundation (SES) and other organisations initiated a public letter of protest so that the Senate could prevent “the failed nuclear turnaround”.
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