Swiss voters cast their ballots yesterday on the possibility of accelerating the country's exit from nuclear energy by closing three of the five reactors operating in the country as early as next year. The referendum initiative, promoted by the Greens and the left, proposed limiting the maximum operational lifespan of each reactor to 45 years.

Yes votes for closure above 45 per cent

45.77 per cent of voters were in favour, against 54.23 per cent of citizens opposed to bringing forward the farewell to nuclear power (even though in cities such as Basel and Geneva, the yes vote won with over 60 per cent). Turnout was in any case low – at less than 45 per cent – because what was at stake was not the future of nuclear power in Switzerland, but solely the closure timetable for the five reactors, which still today supply around one third of the electricity consumed in the Alpine nation.

In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Swiss authorities had in fact decided to abandon nuclear power. The problem is that no firm dates were set. It is no coincidence that the Greens asked during the referendum campaign "whether an accident would need to happen" before a definitive decision was made on when the plants would close.
This is by no means a rhetorical question, given that, for example, the Beznau site, located in the northern canton of Aargau, not far from the border with Germany, has now been in service for 47 years. It is the oldest nuclear power plant in the world, following the closure of the Oldbury reactor in the United Kingdom, which was decommissioned in 2012.

The government opposed to bringing forward the nuclear farewell

Had the yes vote prevailed, the Mühleberg plant – in operation since 1972 in the canton of Bern – would also have been shut down. Meanwhile, the nuclear sites at Gösgen and Leibstadt, in service since 1979 and 1984 respectively, would have been spared. Above all, the Swiss energy production system could have accelerated its own transition: today around 60 per cent of Swiss electricity comes from hydroelectric plants, one third from nuclear power, and only just over 4 per cent from wind and solar.

The government, opposed to accelerating the exit from nuclear power, welcomed the no vote with satisfaction. Environment Minister Doris Leuthard in particular said she was "relieved". By contrast, Socialist MP Roger Nordmann highlighted the strong result achieved in percentage terms: "The population does not support nuclear power." "We are pleased by the broad support given to our initiative," echoed Greens president Regula Rytz.