Swiss Senate backs new nuclear power plant construction

A majority in the responsible committee in the Swiss Senate would like to allow the construction of new nuclear power plants again. It has voted in favour of a counter-proposal to the Stop Blackout Initiative with a clear majority. The centre-left had vetoed the proposal during the consultation process. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In the Senate's Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee (Urek-S), however, the majorities were clearly divided: By 10 votes to 2 with abstentions, it voted in favour of lifting the existing ban on general licences for new nuclear power plants, as reported by the parliamentary services on Tuesday. The Senate expected to deal with the topic in the spring. A technology-neutral energy policy should ensure sufficient domestic production capacities for a secure and cost-effective power supply at all times, according to the press release. The possibility of building new nuclear power plants will expand the room for ...