Greenpeace calls for Beznau to be decommissioned after ‘yes’ to blanket decree
Published: Sunday, Jun 9th 2024, 13:10
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Now that the Swiss people have voted in favor of the energy decree, it is time to draw a line under nuclear power. So says the environmental organization Greenpeace.
With the new Electricity Act and the planned expansion of an additional 45 terawatt hours (TWh) of annual electricity production by 2050, Switzerland is finally moving towards a 100% renewable energy supply, Greenpeace announced on Sunday.
Thanks to this rapid expansion, lifetime extensions for existing nuclear power plants, the construction and operation of fossil reserve power plants or even the discussions surrounding the construction of new nuclear power plants would become obsolete. Every franc that is still being invested in such outdated technology is "a waste of money".
Swiss power plants would have already produced a surplus of 6.4 TWh of electricity by 2023. This is more than the annual production of 6 TWh from the two ageing reactors in Beznau. Solar expansion is continuing to accelerate. Thanks to the expansion of pumped storage plants, Switzerland also has sufficient electricity in winter.
It is therefore up to the energy company Axpo to set an early and definitive shutdown date for the two reactors at the Beznau nuclear power plant, which have "unsolvable safety deficiencies".
WWF believes further measures are needed
The Electricity Act adopted by the people alone will not lead to a reduction in emissions, writes the environmental organization WWF. The actual phase-out of fossil fuels will only succeed with further measures. The national government now has a "clear mandate" to do so.
The result is a "game changer" and a milestone for the energy transition. The Swiss electorate wants to promote the expansion of renewable electricity generation and is thus creating an important prerequisite for phasing out environmentally harmful oil and gas.
When determining suitable areas for free-standing wind and solar plants, WWF will work to ensure that nature conservation regulations and political promises are kept.
©Keystone/SDA
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