Swiss vote for gradual nuclear phaseout, energy makeover

The Swiss voted today in favour of a massive overhaul of the country's energy system by gradually replacing the power from its ageing nuclear reactors with renewable sources.
A full 58.2 per cent of Swiss voters supported the shift, according to a final tally after today's referendum, with only four of the country's 26 cantons voting "no".
The move has been in the making since shortly after Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed in the March 2011 tsunami disaster, when the Swiss government decided to gradually close its nuclear plants.
Instead, it aims to increase reliance on hydraulic power as well as renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.

Today's vote paves the way for the government to gradually begin implementing the measures starting next January.
Backers of the change were ecstatic that the new energy received such broad acceptance, after recent opinion polls had shown the "no" side gaining ground, hinting it might not pass.

"This is a historic day for the country," Green Party parliamentarian Adele Thorens Goumaz told public broadcaster RTS.
"Switzerland will finally enter the 21st century when it comes to energy."
The issue meanwhile seemed to generate less interest than some other recent popular votes, which are the bedrock of Switzerland's system of direct democracy, with only 42.3 per cent of eligible voters having cast a ballot in the referendum.

But while that is low, it still falls within the average for voter turnout over the past two years, according to the ATS news agency.
The government's 2050 energy strategy aims to decommission Switzerland's five ageing reactors, which today produce around a third of the country's electricity, as they reach the end of their safe operational lifespan.
But since all of Switzerland's nuclear plants have open- ended operating licences, there is no clear cut-off date determining when they should be shut down.
Last November, Swiss voters rejected a call to speed up the phaseout of the plants by limiting their operational life span to 45 years, a move that would have seen three of the five reactors close this year.

While the new energy plan does not contain a clear timetable for the nuclear phaseout, it does contain ambitious targets for reducing energy consumption and for improving energy efficacy.
Compared to levels seen in 2000, it aims to cut average energy consumption per person per year by 16 per cent by 2020 and by 43 per cent by 2035.
That first target has almost already been reached, with energy consumption currently 14.5 per cent lower than at the turn of the millennium, according to government figures.