An alliance of left-wing and centrist parties has submitted more than 131,800 signatures in a bid to stop Switzerland from scrapping its ban on building new nuclear power stations. The Socialist Party, the Greens, the Green Liberals and parts of the Centre Party handed in the signatures in Bern on Tuesday, according to figures reported by Greenpeace. Their aim is to keep the existing prohibition on building new reactors in place.
If the referendum is confirmed, voters could decide on the legislative change as early as 28 February 2027. Lisa Mazzone, president of the Greens, described nuclear energy as an outdated and overpriced technology that leaves future generations with highly radioactive waste. Her allies argue that money and effort should go into renewable sources instead. Nuclear plants currently supply just under 30% of the electricity produced in Switzerland, which makes the question of what replaces them a central one for energy policy. The country does not generate enough power in winter and has to import the difference, which amounted to about 6.8 TWh in the winter of 2025 to 2026, roughly a fifth of winter consumption. Vanessa Gassler-Meury, a committee member of the “Stop the Blackout” initiative, said the gap will widen as existing reactors are shut down. “We believe that renewables alone are not enough,” she said, pointing out that solar output varies while nuclear stations deliver a steady supply, which counts most in the cold months.
Supporters of solar energy reject that argument. They note that solar panels produced more than 2 TWh last winter, as much additional winter output as a planned expansion of hydropower aims to deliver by 2040. They fear that lifting the ban would slow investment in renewables. Green Liberal president Jürg Grossen has filed a parliamentary motion calling for solar subsidies to be kept.
Priska Wismer-Felder, a Centre Party member of the National Council from Lucerne, is among those backing the referendum. She wants Switzerland to concentrate its resources on renewable energy, arguing that every franc can only be spent once and that lifting the ban now would leave the country spread too thin. Security of supply in winter is expected to dominate the campaign ahead of the vote, with both camps presenting their approach as the more reliable answer to the country’s seasonal shortfall.
