Voices of Nuclear – Switzerland launches as Parliament revisits nuclear

An independent citizens' association puts the facts on the table as Parliament's debate on lifting the ban on new nuclear power plants reaches a decisive moment

SWITZERLAND, June 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Voices of Nuclear – Switzerland today launched its public information platform in the country's four national languages, live now at voixdunucleaire.ch (FR), stimmenderkernenergie.ch (DE), vocidelnucleare.ch (IT) and voicesofnuclear.ch (EN). The launch comes one day before the National Council takes up the nuclear dossier — object 25.068 — once again.

The association is an independent, non-profit, member-funded citizens' movement, and the Swiss chapter of the international Voices of Nuclear network. Its goal is straightforward: to ground an at-times emotional debate in verifiable facts, in every national language, before Switzerland is asked to vote.

A debate at a turning point

Switzerland has banned the construction of new nuclear power plants since 2017, when voters approved the phase-out in the emotional aftermath of the Fukushima accident. Existing reactors may run as long as they are judged safe. Facing winter supply gaps and binding climate targets, the Federal Council has since moved to lift that ban through an indirect counter-proposal to the "Stop Blackout" initiative, which would amend the Nuclear Energy Act.

The proposal has advanced unevenly. The Council of States backed it in the spring. Then, on 15 June, after a debate that ran more than nine hours across several days, the National Council voted 100–97 to refer the counter-proposal back to the Federal Council, asking for greater clarity on how new plants would be financed. On 16 June, the Council of States declined to follow, rejecting the referral 28–16 and pointing to a financing report it has already commissioned for the end of the year. On 18 June, the question returns to the National Council: if the chamber maintains its referral, the dossier goes back to the government. Whatever Parliament decides, Swiss voters are expected to have the final word at the ballot box.

"The financing question is fair — and it has answers," thinks Voices of Nuclear – Switzerland. "Export financing from the countries that build reactors, green and climate bonds, and technology-neutral support already pay for low-carbon power elsewhere, from Britain to the Gulf. None of it is exotic. Our role is to make these facts accessible to every citizen — not to decide for them."

What the platform offers

In clear language, and identically across all four national languages, the site explains:

Switzerland's energy reality — nuclear supplies roughly a third of the country's electricity, and more than a third in the winter half-year, exactly when solar fades and demand peaks;
Why nuclear matters — among the lowest-carbon sources there is, weather-independent, land-sparing, and a pillar of domestic energy security;
The used-fuel question, answered honestly — from interim storage (decades of used fuel amount to roughly the volume of a single sports hall) to a deep geological repository in Opalinus clay at Nördlich Lägern, Switzerland's equivalent of Finland's Onkalo; plus the treatment of low-activity waste and the promise of fast reactors that turn today's used fuel into tomorrow's fuel;
The safety record — Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, examined without sentiment, alongside the data showing nuclear among the safest ways to generate electricity;
How new plants can be financed; and
Where the political process stands, step by step.

"Switzerland chose to phase out nuclear power in 2017, in the emotional shock that followed Fukushima," [Spokesperson name] added. "The facts today look different. Japan itself is steadily restarting its fleet; the Fukushima accident caused no radiation deaths among the public; and Western reactor designs cannot suffer a Chernobyl-style runaway. Citizens deserve that full picture — and the chance to weigh it for themselves."

Key facts on the site
≈30% of Swiss electricity comes from nuclear today — and more in winter.
4 reactors at three sites (Beznau, Gösgen, Leibstadt) provide steady, low-carbon power.
≈0.03 deaths per terawatt-hour — nuclear ranks among the safest energy sources, comparable to wind and solar.
A deep geological repository is planned at Nördlich Lägern; the licence application has been filed.

Become a founding member

Membership is open now. Citizens can register as founding members through the form linked on every page of the site. Membership fees and categories will be defined by the association's statutes.

About Voices of Nuclear – Switzerland

Voices of Nuclear – Switzerland is an independent, non-profit citizens' association advocating for nuclear energy as part of a secure, low-carbon Swiss energy supply. It is the Swiss chapter of the international Voices of Nuclear movement and publishes fact-based, multilingual information for the public, the media and decision-makers.

Voices of Nuclear - Switzerland
+41 79 506 62 58
Les Voix du Nucléaire - Stimmen der Kernenergie
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