The referendum on the future of Swiss nuclear stations proves that the nuclear power industry will continue its global development, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachov said. “The Swiss referendum demonstrates the European commitment to using nuclear power and expanding its share in the energy mix. It means there will be new stations and new reactors,” Alexei Likhachov added.
If the country had supported the Green Party’s initiative, three out of five reactors currently in operation would be shut down already next year, followed by the remaining two in 2024 and 2029 respectively. The Government and both houses of the parliament opposed the initiative.
The five nuclear power units generate almost 40% of Switzerland’s electricity. “This is as much as half of Swiss households consumes on the annual average,” said Federal Councilor Didier Burkhalter known for his strong stance against the Green Party’s initiative.
In 2010, plans to replace the existing power units caused heated discussion. People said yes to these plans on a referendum, and the Swiss regulator confirmed that new reactors could be built on the existing sites. In June 2011, just two months after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the National Council voted to freeze these plans.
Nuclear phaseout would force Switzerland to increase electricity import, but the country has no necessary infrastructure to promptly replace the nuclear generation capacity. Starting from 1980s, power consumption has been increasing by 2% annually. In 2015, the country generated a total of 67.5 TWh per annum. Nuclear accounted for 23 TWh while the rest was generated by hydro power stations. By the way, the nuclear and hydro power mix makes the Swiss energy industry one of the most environmentally friendly in the world. As was mentioned at the Swiss Nuclear Forum, the No vote to the immediate nuclear phaseout proves that clean and eco friendly power is of great importance for the Swiss society.
It is also worthy of note that over 70% of voters living near the nuclear power plants rejected the Green Party’s initiative. Only six out of 26 cantons came out in favor of the phaseout. “Swiss voters rejected the Greens’ ill-grounded nuclear exit initiative,” said Daniel Aegerter, a co-founder of the pro-nuclear non-governmental organization Energy for Humanity. “We must focus our efforts on expanding nuclear energy rather than on shutting it down.” The nuclear stations are now likely to continue their operation until the age of 60 and will be shut down in the 2030s and 2040s. “Until then, they will generate 320 TWh of electricity and prevent the emission of at least 50 million tons of CO2,” Daniel Aegerter added.
“A balanced mix of hydro power and nuclear is one of the cleanest in the world and provides a successful model for other countries that are seeking to cut their carbon dioxide emissions,” said Agneta Rising, Director General of World Nuclear Association.
