Swiss back nuclear energy in referendum

(Vatican Radio) People in Switzerland voting in a referendum have rejected a proposal to accelerate the country’s exit from nuclear energy with a strict timetable. Official results showed more than half of the voters, some 54 percent, voted against the initiative.

Listen to Stephan Bos' report:

The outcome of Sunday's referendum on nuclear energy energy came as a setback for Switzerland's Green Party. A yes vote would have limited the reactors lifespan to 45 years. That would have meant the closure of three of the alpine nation's five nuclear plants next year, with the last shutting in 2029.

However after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, the Swiss government only adopted a gradualist approach toward transitioning the country to renewable energy by 2050.

It said nuclear plants should continue to operate as long as they are deemed safe. But it refused to set a precise timetable as demanded by the Greens.

NEEDING TIME

The government said it "needs time" to switch to other sources such as wind, solar and biomass energy. And official results showed that most voters backed that argument. Only six of Switzerland’s 26 states supported the nuclear shutdown plan.

The five plants currently generate almost 40 percent of the country's electricity.

Under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, proposals need support from both a majority of the country’s cantons, or states, and of the national vote to pass.

While environmentalists have expressed concern about nuclear energy, business leaders and the government say shutting plants down too quickly could lead to power shortages and raise reliance on fossil fuels.