A referendum in Switzerland that included a provision forbidding construction of new nuclear power plants passed on Sunday. The referendum included support for renewable power sources and pitted the two energy supplies against each other. Thus, the bill, perhaps inadvertently, was a referendum against energy diversity.
The referendum was an add-on the country's Energy Strategy 2050, which was adopted last year. While snipping out nuclear power, however, it provides for an expanded use of fossil fuels.
The plan, which passed with 58.2 percent of the vote, calls for consumers to raise $494 million through raised electricity bills that will go towards the expansion of renewable power systems from 2831 GWh to 11,400 GWh within the next 13 years. About the same amount will be spent on improving efficiency in commercial and residential buildings to cut down on demand.
Hydro power now accounts for 60 percent of Switzerland's electricity generation, while nuclear power, provided by five reactors, now accounts for 35 percent.
The plan does not specify a shut-down date for the country's five reactors, allowing them to continue to operate as long as it is permitted by the nation's nuclear regulator, the Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate.