Overview
- Parliament approved the government bill to repeal the 2018 prohibition on new nuclear power plants after both chambers backed the measure, clearing the way for the law to take effect unless challenged.
- Left and green parties announced plans to launch a referendum and must collect 50,000 valid signatures to suspend the law and force a public vote.
- Agence France‑Presse reports the opposition campaign is likely to reach the required signatures, but the date of any nationwide referendum has not yet been set.
- The government frames the change as a way to add low‑carbon capacity and strengthen supply reliability, while critics cite environmental risks, dependence on foreign uranium and the high costs and long lead times for new reactors.
- Switzerland still runs four ageing reactors, with Beznau 1 online since 1969 and Beznau 1 and 2 scheduled to close in 2033 and 2032, and experts say a new plant could not realistically start producing until around 2050 given legal, cantonal and planning hurdles.