Nuclear Power Referendum: Volt in Switzerland Supports the Signature Collection
The Swiss Parliament has lifted the ban on building new nuclear power plants enacted in 2017. Now, a broad alliance is fighting the decision through a popular referendum. What is Volt's stance?
The Referendum at a Glance
On 30 June 2026, a broad alliance comprising the SP, the Greens, the glp, the Centre Women, and several environmental organisations launched a referendum. The alliance opposes the parliamentary decision allowing the construction of new nuclear power plants in Switzerland. A total of 50,000 valid signatures must be collected by 8 October 2026. The vote will take place on 28 February 2027 at the earliest.
Context
In 2016, Swiss voters decided on the initiative "For the orderly withdrawal from nuclear energy". The Federal Council and Parliament recommended rejecting the initiative, fearing a hasty exit. Through the "Energy Strategy 2050", a phased phase-out of nuclear power was adopted. Today, three nuclear power plants remain connected to the grid, generating 28% of Swiss electricity.
Russia's military aggression in Ukraine in 2022 reignited the debate. The initiative "Electricity for all at all times (Stop blackouts)" demanded lifting the construction ban. The parliamentary counter-proposal passed this repeal with a slim majority. The referendum opposes this newly adopted counter-proposal.
Arguments of the Referendum Alliance
Import Dependency: New reactors would worsen dependency on Russian uranium.
Costs and Risks: International experience shows cost overruns in the billions; the financial risk would ultimately fall on taxpayers.
Missed Opportunities: Capital and attention directed towards nuclear power could stall solar, wind, and storage developments.
Time Horizon: New reactors take 15–20 years to build. This is far too slow for the debated winter electricity shortage.
Lack of Transparency: The Federal Council's report on financing models will only be published after the vote. Voters would therefore decide without full knowledge of the facts.
Our Position
Volt's stance on nuclear energy is grounded in an evidence-based approach. Our policy “A European, safe and innovative strategy on nuclear energy” relies on conditional criteria and a nuanced perspective:
Existing reactors may continue operating until their license expires; lifetime extensions are only acceptable if current safety standards are met, the operator bears all costs, state-of-the-art technology is used, and the plant is genuinely necessary to achieve climate neutrality.
New reactors are only acceptable if they are inherently safe (requiring no active systems for safe shutdown) and resilient against external threats.
The Swiss team supports research into forward-looking concepts (small modular reactors, thorium and molten-salt designs, Gen-IV reactors, and fusion).
Measured against these criteria, the parliamentary decision is negligent: it repeals the statutory ban without setting safety requirements for future reactor designs or clarifying who bears the financial and liability risks. According to a recent study by ETH Zurich, new nuclear power plants are unfeasible without state financial guarantees and are not required to reach Switzerland's net-zero 2050 target.
For this reason, Volt in Switzerland supports the referendum: it creates an opportunity to reshape sustainable energy development, particularly in light of human-made climate change.