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Report nowNuclear yes or no? The big nuclear debate starts today in the National Council - and it promises to be razor-thin.
At first glance, our elected representatives have a leisurely working day today: meetings are scheduled in the morning and over lunchtime, then from 2.30 p.m. it's full steam ahead in the National Council chamber - the session is scheduled to last until 9.45 p.m. The longest agenda item of the day: the popular initiative "Electricity for all at all times (stop the blackout)", including an indirect counter-proposal.
At its core, the initiative revolves around a single question: should Switzerland lift the ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants, which has been in place since the Energy Strategy 2050?
The initiative formulates its demand indirectly: the federal government should ensure an adequate supply of electricity at all times and allow all climate-friendly technologies. There is a political bone of contention between the lines: "environmentally and climate-friendly forms of power generation" also refers to nuclear energy.
A yes vote would mean the ban on building new nuclear power plants would be lifted. It has been in place since 2018, was a lesson learned from the Fukushima nuclear disaster and was confirmed by the population as part of the Energy Strategy 2050.
«Jederzeit Strom für alle (Blackout stoppen)»
Die Bundesverfassung1 wird wie folgt geändert:
6 Die Stromversorgung muss jederzeit sichergestellt sein. Der Bund legt dafür die Verantwortlichkeiten fest.
7 Die Stromproduktion hat umwelt- und klimaschonend zu erfolgen. Alle klimaschonenden Arten der Stromerzeugung sind zulässig.
1 SR 101
This is probably one of the reasons why the National Council is facing a veritable speech marathon: 99 members have signed up to speak. Although this is not a record, the long list ensures that the debate will not only run until 9.45 p.m. today, but will also continue tomorrow, Tuesday. He doesn't need any sympathy, but it should be mentioned anyway: the newly-operated Federal Councillor and Energy Minister Albert Rösti (SVP) has to sit out and listen to it all.
Rösti is considered a supporter of nuclear power plants, even if he does not openly admit this in interviews. Under Rösti's leadership, the Federal Council is proposing a counter-proposal that would remove the ban on new nuclear power plants from the Nuclear Energy Act.
Federal Councillor Albert Rösti has to listen to the 99 votes in the National Council.
KEYSTONE
The supporters are relying on one argument in particular: security of supply. The demand for electricity will rise sharply due to electrification, heat pumps, e-mobility, industry, digitalization, AI and data centers - while today's nuclear power plants will be taken off the grid sooner or later.
During the debate in the Council of States, several supporters emphasized that the decision today was not about the construction of a specific nuclear power plant, but only about whether this option should be considered at all in the future.
Opponents, on the other hand, argue that Switzerland has already democratically decided in favor of renewable energies with the Energy Strategy 2050 and the Electricity Act. A return to the nuclear power plant debate would send the wrong signal, create uncertainty for investors and could slow down the expansion of solar, wind and hydropower.
New nuclear power plants would come far too late to solve the problems of the next 10 to 15 years anyway. They are expensive, can only be financed with state guarantees, the disposal issue remains unresolved - and new dependencies on foreign countries would arise for both uranium and technology.
A close decision is expected. In the committee, the vote in favor of the indirect counter-proposal was very close with 13 votes to 12. Parliament's recommendation to vote against the initiative, on the other hand, is likely to be clear in view of the clear preliminary decision of 15 votes to 9.
