Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard engineered the move away from nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster. On 25 May 2011, she declared that Switzerland was not prepared to replace its current nuclear power plants once they reached the end of their operating life. tion. At the same time, there aren’t extensive reserves of power just waiting to be used. The energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made that abundantly clear. A winter energy shortfall in Switzerland became a realistic prospect and the authorities created crisis plans. Out of nowhere, the concept of a power shortage planted itself in the public consciousness. Simonetta Sommaruga, who was energy minister at the time, called for people to cook with the lid on the pot and take showers together. In the end, a serendipitous turn of events made the ‘22/’23 winter crisis planning redundant. The gas power plants once seen as a viable alternative source are incompatible with the net-zero objective. They are now only considered as an emergency reserve, i.e. to bridge an electricity shortfall over a number of weeks, as heavy reliance on imports is excessively risky. Potential energy suppliers throughout the country all face the same issue: where will the power come from? Switzerland is by no means alone in this regard. Several European countries have postponed their plans to wean themselves off nuclear power, or even abandoned them altogether, including Belgium and several eastern European countries. The United Kingdom and Slovakia are even expanding 5 tinct possibility that the initiative will be withdrawn if parliament supports the Federal Council’s counterproposal. This would play into the hands of the atomic lobby, in so far as a vote would only require the backing of a majority of the electorate and not of the cantons as well. The left is accusing SVP Federal Councillor Rösti of misrepresenting the will of the people, which is somewhat ironic as he is a representative of the party that sees the will of the people as paramount. SP National Councillor Roger Nordmann argues that the government’s position is diametrically opposed to the energy and climate policy favoured by the public. The voters have clearly and repeatedly shown that they back the phasing out of nuclear energy in favour of a secure energy supply sourced from renewables. Reliability of supply is key While the threat of nuclear catastrophe loomed over the decision to wind down atomic energy, reliability of supply has since become the issue dominating the debate. The pro-nuclear camp argue that decarbonisation will drive demand for electricity. Transport and heating will have to run on electricity in order to achieve net zero by 2050. Population growth will also drive electricity consumpThe plan was to phase out Switzerland’s nuclear power plants, not replace them (pictured here: Beznau I and Beznau II). But the Federal Council has now had second thoughts. Photo: Keystone Energy Minister Albert Rösti announcing the change in atomic energy policy at a media conference in August 2024. Photos: Keystone sion was not as decisive as it could have been. If Fukushima had really caused people to question the safety of reactors, they should have moved to shut down the country’s nuclear operations much faster. As happened in Germany, for example. Switzerland opted for a pragmatic path, not least due to the public mood. The people would most likely not have approved any new nuclear plants in the aftermath of Fukushima. Energy minister and savvy tactician Rösti is now working to undo Leuthard’s move away from nuclear power. Rösti has always been a supporter of nuclear energy. On assuming the energy portfolio following his election to the Federal Council, he acquired the means to act on his convictions. However, being a smart operator, Rösti initially bided his time, making all the right noises about renewable energy and pouring cold water on a resumption of the nuclear power plant debate. It was at best a redundant discussion and possibly even counterproductive, he said in an interview with “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” in September 2023. He argued that a debate on new nuclear plants would torpedo efforts to expand the use of renewables. That was before the popular vote on the revised Electricity Supply Act, which lays the foundations for a major expansion of renewable energies. He did not want to jeopardise this bill by reviving the nuclear debate. Rösti’s tactic worked and the voters resoundingly backed the revised law – against opposition from Rösti’s own party, the SVP. Officially, the Federal Council decision is a counterproposal to the popular initiative “Stop the blackout”, which aims to lift the construction ban on nuclear power plants. The main backers of the initiative are the SVP, the FDP and Energie Club Schweiz. It is a disSwiss Review / December 2024 / No.6
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