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Released October 18, 2016 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Switzerland's government has admitted than it will not be able to exit nuclear power early despite the outcome of an upcoming referendum.
A national referendum next month will call for the early closure of three reactors, but the government's energy minister, Doris Leuthard, admitted that the country is not yet ready to ditch nuclear power. The referendum, organised by the Swiss Green Party, will call for the closure of all plants that reach 45 years of age and ban the construction of new ones. This would mean that the Beznau I and II reactors, along with one at Mühleberg, would be shut by next year. The country's last two reactors at Gösgen and Leibstadt would be shut in 2024 and 2029, respectively.
Last year, Switzerland's five nuclear reactors produced just under 34% of the country's power, enough for 1.6 million people.
Speaking to the media, Leuthard explained that the country is not yet ready to abandon nuclear power, despite the government's pledge to do so in 2011, after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Tokyo, Japan.
She said that renewables are not yet ready to replace the early closure of nuclear power and that it would force the country to increase its reliance on coal-fired imports from neighbouring Germany. She also pointed to costly legal battles with the relevant power utilities.
"Compensation lawsuits are inevitable," she said. "Taxpayers would be on the hook."
She added: "We will have to import power from abroad, produced by coal- and gas-fired stations. Is this really what the Greens want?"
Regula Rytz, president of the Swiss Green Party, countered: "Switzerland has the oldest nuclear power plants in the world. Beznau I has been going for 47 years. Nuclear energy puts us in a state of permanent emergency. This is a high-risk technology, and its negative consequences are going to be around for thousands of years."
In 2011, just weeks after the Fukushima accident, Industrial Info reported on how the government shelved plans to build three new reactors and later to get rid of nuclear power altogether by setting a closure timetable for its existing plants. For additional information, see March 17, 2011 , article--Switzerland Halts Nuclear Plant Programme and May 27, 2011, article--Switzerland Calls Time on Nuclear Power.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
A national referendum next month will call for the early closure of three reactors, but the government's energy minister, Doris Leuthard, admitted that the country is not yet ready to ditch nuclear power. The referendum, organised by the Swiss Green Party, will call for the closure of all plants that reach 45 years of age and ban the construction of new ones. This would mean that the Beznau I and II reactors, along with one at Mühleberg, would be shut by next year. The country's last two reactors at Gösgen and Leibstadt would be shut in 2024 and 2029, respectively.
Last year, Switzerland's five nuclear reactors produced just under 34% of the country's power, enough for 1.6 million people.
Speaking to the media, Leuthard explained that the country is not yet ready to abandon nuclear power, despite the government's pledge to do so in 2011, after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Tokyo, Japan.
She said that renewables are not yet ready to replace the early closure of nuclear power and that it would force the country to increase its reliance on coal-fired imports from neighbouring Germany. She also pointed to costly legal battles with the relevant power utilities.
"Compensation lawsuits are inevitable," she said. "Taxpayers would be on the hook."
She added: "We will have to import power from abroad, produced by coal- and gas-fired stations. Is this really what the Greens want?"
Regula Rytz, president of the Swiss Green Party, countered: "Switzerland has the oldest nuclear power plants in the world. Beznau I has been going for 47 years. Nuclear energy puts us in a state of permanent emergency. This is a high-risk technology, and its negative consequences are going to be around for thousands of years."
In 2011, just weeks after the Fukushima accident, Industrial Info reported on how the government shelved plans to build three new reactors and later to get rid of nuclear power altogether by setting a closure timetable for its existing plants. For additional information, see March 17, 2011 , article--Switzerland Halts Nuclear Plant Programme and May 27, 2011, article--Switzerland Calls Time on Nuclear Power.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
