Swiss vote for gradual nuclear phaseout
ENERGY MAKEOVER
GENEVA — The Swiss voted yesterday in favor of a massive overhaul of the country's energy system by gradually replacing the power from its ageing nuclear reactors with renewable sources.
A full 58.2 percent of Swiss voters supported the shift, according to a final tally after Sunday's referendum, with only four of the country's 26 cantons voting "no".
The move has been in the making since shortly after Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed in the March 2011 tsunami disaster, when the Swiss government decided to gradually close its nuclear plants.
Instead, it aims to increase reliance on hydraulic power as well as renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.
Sunday's vote paves the way for the government to gradually begin implementing the measures starting next January.
Backers of the change were ecstatic that the new energy received such broad acceptance, after recent opinion polls had shown the "no" side gaining ground, hinting it might not pass.
"This is a historic day for the country," Green Party parliamentarian Adele ThorensGoumaz told public broadcaster RTS. "Switzerland will finally enter the 21st century when it comes to energy." The issue meanwhile seemed to generate less interest than some other recent popular votes, which are the bedrock of Switzerland's system of direct democracy, with only 42.3 percent of eligible voters having cast a ballot in the referendum.
But while that is low, it still falls within the average for voter turnout over the past two years, according to the ATS news agency.
The government's 2050 energy strategy aims to decommission Switzerland's five ageing reactors, which today produce around a third of the country's electricity, as they reach the end of their safe operational lifespan.
But since all of Switzerland's nuclear plants have open-ended operating licences, there is no clear cut-off date determining when they should be shut down.
Last November, Swiss voters rejected a call to speed up the phaseout of the plants by limiting their operational lifespan to 45 years, a move that would have seen three of the five reactors close this year.