Nuclear Monitor #922

Philippe de Rougemont and Ilias Panchard, Sortir du Nucléaire association

Following the Fukushima disaster, the Federal Council and Parliament took the historic decision to phase out nuclear power. This decision marked a turning point in the country’s energy policy and was supported by several referenda.

As a result, the Mühleberg nuclear power plant was shut down in 2020. Its output was offset by the development of renewable energies. By 2023, installed solar capacity in Switzerland had risen to reach 11% of the countries’ needs. The nuclear power plants still in operation are likely to be shut down in stages.

The next closure will be of the Beznau nuclear power plant in 2033, the oldest still in operation in the world. The 2033 deadline is tantamount to continuing nuclear Russian roulette for another decade. Axpo is continuing to sink hundreds of millions of Swiss francs into making this obsolete power plant last a few more years. These colossal sums should be used to develop renewable energies, improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and adapt our grid.

The solar initiative, by equipping every suitable roof with photovoltaic panels, will boost our renewable electricity production capacity. Excess solar-generated electricity in summer will be stored to meet winter needs by raising several hydroelectric dams.

However, despite these advances to replace nuclear power and comply with the Paris climate agreement, the Federal Council is still not planning to close the two remaining nuclear power plants still in operation. Materials are deteriorating, maintenance shutdowns are lengthening and the risk of failure is increasing, leading to the ever-present possibility of an accident. This lack of foresight could prove very costly. Without a fixed and announced closure date, the country will have to shut down its power plants because of advanced wear and tear, at an unknown date, at a time when the economy needs to be able to anticipate.

In Switzerland, a nuclear disaster would bring the country to its knees. The human consequences would be far more dramatic than at Chernobyl or Fukushima. The Swiss power stations are all located in the heart of the densely built-up plateau where 70% of the country’s population lives. Depending on the wind direction, major cities could be affected in a matter of hours. According to the federal report Katanos, up to 600,000 people would be irradiated in the event of a nuclear disaster in Switzerland[1]. The loss of agricultural land and insolvent mortgages on buildings would amount to 4,200 billion francs, or 52 times the annual budget of the Swiss Confederation.

These facts explain why Alpiq decided to leave the umbrella organisation économiesuisse and its pro-nuclear stance.

Today, Switzerland is capable of making a success of its energy transition without nuclear power, as the population has voted and as the Federal Office of Energy has planned. The new conservatism in which Federal Councillor Albert Rösti is involved reflects a lack of confidence in the country’s ability to develop and innovate. We need the pioneering spirit of our ancestors. It enabled them to build the most complex and dense railway network in the world and to build the largest hydroelectric dams.

Today’s energy policy is based on decentralised renewable energies, alpine storage and the control of consumption. Maintaining nuclear power without a closure timetable is a major obstacle to this programme. Nuclear power has become a pillow of laziness.

By getting rid of an obsolete technology, the country is preparing for a more sustainable and prosperous future, in line with its commitments and the decisions taken in the referendum. Switzerland has all the cards in its hand to make a successful transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Philippe de Rougemont and Ilias Panchard

Secretary General and President of the Sortir du Nucléaire association

Op-ed published in the Swiss French-speaking business daily Le Temps December 5 2024

https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/debats/la-suisse-sort-lentement-du-nucleaire

[1] KATANOS, Catastrophes et situations d’urgence en Suisse : une analyse comparée, Office fédéral de la protection civile, Berne, 1995.