Rösti warns of electricity shortfall "We must at least keep the option of building a new nuclear power plant open"
Energy Minister Albert Rösti warns in the "NZZ am Sonntag" newspaper of an impending electricity shortfall. In his opinion, the main remedy is nuclear power: the 58-year-old is campaigning for the construction of new nuclear reactors.
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- 0 admits that the expansion of green energy is progressing too slowly.
- Because gas is no longer an alternative, the only option left to close the looming electricity gap is nuclear power.
- With a view to decarbonization, Rösti also calls for the construction of new nuclear power plants to be kept open.
In the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti has once again warned of an impending electricity shortfall in Switzerland. "We cannot do without nuclear power," he said in an interview with the newspaper.
He does not want this option, but the expansion of hydro, solar and wind energy is progressing too slowly. "If wind power unexpectedly takes off, all kinds of hydroelectric power plants are unexpectedly built and more Alpine solar power plants are unexpectedly built, I will certainly be the first to abandon nuclear power," Rösti continued.
Gas imports unreliable
He has long warned that Switzerland will have too little electricity in ten or twenty years' time. "The geopolitical situation demands an expansion of production, but above all it is decarbonization that is forcing us to do so," explained the Federal Councillor. 60 percent of energy requirements are currently still covered by fossil fuels and must be gradually replaced.
Rösti does not deny that progress in the expansion of hydro, solar and wind energy is still too slow. At the same time, he says of potential alternatives: "Gas is out of the question in terms of climate policy, and we cannot rely on imports. That leaves nuclear power."
Modern "small modular reactors" offer a "realistic possibility" and will become "practical worldwide in the next five years". They would also drive forward decarbonization: "We must at least keep the option of building a new nuclear power plant open."
A promotional film for Small Modular Reactors: