With growing electrification, current demand increases in Switzerland. In parallel, current nuclear power plants are approaching retirement and Switzerland still does not agree on electricity with the EU. A combination that pushes some to question the prohibition to build new power plants. But, according to experts from the Energy Commission for Swiss Academies of Sciences, even if it was repealed, the first new central central would not see the light of day before 2050. Many decisions, including popular votes, would be necessary, without any favorable outcome guarantee.
Researchers point out that heavy investments over decades should be made, in an electricity market increasingly dominated by renewable energies, especially summer. The profitability of a nuclear power plant would therefore not be ensured, unless the condition puts its hands in the pocket. Without substantial public aid, it is not realistic, sums up the report.
A nuclear power plant requires an equivalent electricity reserve capacity in the event of a breakdown. This security would be ensured by integration into the European network. Without an agreement with Brussels, rescue plants should be built in Switzerland, with costs. The large, most advanced power plants today are generation III or III+, safer than the old ones. Mini-reactors of this generation could appear in the 2030s, but they must first prove their economic viability. The so -called IV reactors remain highly uncertain.
