Switzerland’s upper house of parliament, the Council of States, has voted in favour of lifting the country’s longstanding ban on constructing new nuclear power plants.
That marks a significant step towards reversing the nuclear phase-out policy adopted nearly a decade ago.
The decision was passed yesterday by 27 votes to 13 with two abstentions.
This move would amend the Nuclear Energy Act to repeal provisions prohibiting general licences for new nuclear facilities, potentially opening the door to future atomic energy projects amid concerns over electricity supply reliability.
The vote saw a pivotal shift from the Centre Party, whose representatives largely supported the measure despite opposing it during the Federal Council’s consultation phase.
They voted against a left-wing motion to shelve the proposal, tipping the balance in the small chamber.
Switzerland’s ban on new nuclear plants dates back to 2018, following a 2017 referendum that approved the Energy Strategy 2050.
This policy aimed to phase out nuclear power, which is currently accounting for about a third of the nation’s electricity, while boosting renewables, hydropower and imports.
The strategy was spurred by the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, which prompted a global panic over nuclear safety.
The push to overturn the ban gained momentum with the “Stop the Blackout” initiative, launched in March 2024 by conservative and business groups.
It seeks a constitutional amendment to guarantee secure, environmentally friendly electricity supply, implicitly calling for all climate-neutral technologies, including nuclear, to be permitted.
Proponents argue that rising electricity demand from electrification, data centres and population growth, coupled with geopolitical risks such as the Ukraine war disrupting gas supplies, necessitates keeping nuclear as an option.
Many in Switzerland see a possible energy crisis in the near future as a great risk for the country that could turn out to be expensive.
Others warned against the pollution of the landscape, littering it with wind turbines and photovoltaic systems.
In response, the Federal Council in August 2025 rejected the initiative outright, citing its potential to disrupt federal-cantonal responsibilities, but advanced an indirect counter-proposal.
This legislative tweak would lift the ban without a constitutional change, emphasising technology neutrality for secure, cost-effective domestic power production.
The government cited climate targets, surging demand and international uncertainties as key drivers, although it stressed that lifting the ban does not guarantee new builds.
Any new projects would still require rigorous licensing and could face referendums.
The proposal progressed through the Council of States’ Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee in January 2026, which backed it by 10 votes to two with abstentions, despite centre-left opposition during consultations.
Environmental organisations, the Green Party and the Swiss Energy Foundation have lambasted the move as a “failed nuclear turnaround” that could derail the shift to renewables and prolong dependence on what they call risky technology.
Experts remain cautious about practical outcomes. Andreas Pautz, head of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering and Sciences at the Swiss research facility the Paul Scherrer Institute has estimated that regulatory hurdles and public votes could delay any construction until at least 2040.
Major utilities such as Axpo Holdings have echoed this, stating that ending the ban is symbolic and does not imply imminent plans for new reactors.
The measure now heads to the National Council, the lower house, for debate in the coming months.
If approved by both chambers, the Federal Council could withdraw the “Stop the Blackout” initiative; otherwise, a nationwide referendum may follow, potentially by 2027.
Campaigners warn that financial aspects such as possible federal subsidies could trigger further plebiscites, complicating the path ahead.
This development aligns Switzerland with a broader European trend, where nations such as France and Sweden are expanding nuclear capacity to meet net-zero goals, while others, such as Germany, have completed phase-outs.
Recently, Brussels has been opening up for nuclear energy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling the nuclear phaseout in Europe a “strategic mistake”.
The EC has been promoting the introduction of small modular reactors, a shift from prior goals, which were mainly focused on renewables and so-called “green” energy.
