Less than a third of Swiss want a comeback for nuclear power plants
Published: Wednesday, Dec 20th 2023, 09:40
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Less than a third of the Swiss are in favor of nuclear power. Enthusiasm for wind turbines is also limited. According to a survey, the Swiss want to rely primarily on solar systems and hydroelectric power plants for their electricity supply.
According to a representative survey conducted by management consultants Deloitte and published by the news agency AWP, large-scale rooftop solar power plants are seen as the most important option, with 63% of respondents in favor. This is followed by the expansion of existing reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants (53 percent).
The question was: "How would you secure Switzerland's electricity supply for the coming decades?" Respondents were able to agree to several different options.
Wind power is also struggling
In contrast, only around 30% of respondents were in favor of building new nuclear power plants and maintaining existing ones: 32% are in favor of keeping nuclear power plants "running for longer". The construction of new "nuclear power plants with state-of-the-art technology" was supported by 29%.
New construction is currently prohibited in this country. The Swiss population voted in favor of the nuclear phase-out in 2017: At that time, the revised Energy Act was approved with 58 percent of the vote. This stipulates that the existing four nuclear power plants may operate for as long as they are safe. However, the construction of new nuclear power plants is prohibited.
Respondents were similarly cautious about wind energy: 36% of respondents are in favor of wind turbines being erected in natural areas or in the mountains. 25 percent are in favor of wind turbines being built near residential areas.
Although energy sources such as wind energy and nuclear power are the subject of political debate, they are not accepted by a large proportion of the population, writes Deloitte.
Large gaps in knowledge
Imports from abroad, which are already an essential part of the Swiss electricity supply - especially in winter - are also not widely supported by the population. Only 10 percent are in favor of importing electricity. According to Deloitte, skepticism among the population also plays a role in how reliably neighboring countries would supply electricity to Switzerland in the event of a Europe-wide shortage.
Meanwhile, the survey also revealed gaps in knowledge on energy issues, writes the consultancy. For example, only 17% of participants were aware that Swiss electricity production is almost 100% CO2-free today. In 2022, over 60 percent of electricity in Switzerland was produced by hydropower plants and over a third by nuclear power.
In turn, only 19 percent knew that a site for the final repository for nuclear waste had already been found in Switzerland. The National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) announced in September 2022 that it considers the Nördlich Lägern region in the canton of Zurich to be the best location for the construction of a deep geological repository. It is currently working on a general license application.
On behalf of Deloitte, the market research institute Cint surveyed 1900 people in Switzerland between November 10 and 20, 2023.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish