Switzerland to scrap ban on building nuclear power stations

ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss government said on Wednesday it plans to overturn a ban on building new power plants to strengthen local energy supply at a time of increased geopolitical tension.

Energy Minister Albert Roesti said the government would submit a proposal to amend nuclear legislation by the end of 2024 so it can be debated in parliament next year.

"Over the long term, new nuclear power plants are one possible way of making our supply more secure in a geopolitically uncertain time," Roesti told a press conference.

Failure to retain the option could be seen as a betrayal by future generations, Roesti argued.

Switzerland decided to phase out atomic energy after the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan.

In 2017, Swiss voters approved a government plan that included a ban on building new nuclear power stations.

At the end of 2019, the Muehleberg nuclear power station came off the grid. Three more nuclear stations remain.

Roesti also reiterated the government felt it was meeting its commitments to tackling climate change, responding to a European court ruling in April that had ordered it to do more.

KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz, which with Greenpeace brought the case to the court, dismissed this and said that Switzerland was still failing to uphold its obligations.

(Reporting by Paul Arnold; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Christoph Steitz)

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