Swiss political hurdles make new nuclear plants difficult

Political barriers to building new nuclear power plants in Switzerland are high, and public support for lifting the ban remains uncertain, political scientist Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen told SRF. A study by the Swiss Foundation for Technology Assessment, TA-Swiss, examined public attitudes to nuclear energy.

About half the population supports nuclear power and half opposes it, with supporters currently holding a slight advantage, Stadelmann-Steffen said. But general support does not necessarily translate into backing for a vote to repeal the ban on new plants, which is due to be put to voters next year.

Surveys show that energy security is now high on the public’s list of priorities, which may explain why nuclear power has gained some support in recent years. People make a clear distinction, however, between extending the operating lives of existing plants and building new ones. There is currently no clear majority in favour of new plants, she said, and it is not possible to predict whether longer operating lives would eventually boost support for a new generation of reactors.

Public acceptance also depends on how concrete a proposal is. The nuclear debate remains relatively abstract, making it difficult to predict how people would respond to a specific project. Stadelmann-Steffen noted that support for wind power and alpine solar power is higher in general, yet specific projects can still face strong opposition.

Financing has emerged as another point of conflict in the parliamentary debate over the construction ban. In two surveys, respondents were asked how they would divide 100 million francs in public funds among different technologies. In both surveys, 60 percent said they would allocate no money to nuclear energy, Stadelmann-Steffen said. She expects it would therefore be difficult to win support for public funding proposals for new plants.

Although new nuclear technology could offer advantages, its future ultimately depends on political will, she said. At least three votes will give the public the final say, leaving her sceptical about whether new plants can be built.