A group of Swiss politicians has formed a lobby group which is planning to petition the government to hold a referendum on revising the country’s energy policy to guarantee adequate power supplies and keep nuclear as part of the mix.

In May 2017 Switzerland voted to start phasing out the country’s nuclear plants, which provide around one-third of its electricity, as part of a 2014 energy policy which will also cut consumption and increase wind and solar power generation.

In December 2019, operators retired the Mühleberg plant after 47 years of operation because investments in its future operation were seen as no longer viable.

Switzerland has four nuclear plants at three sites – Beznau-1 and -2, Gösgen, and Leibstadt. No dates have been set for the shutdowns, although the Beznau station near the German border, whose two plants began commercial operation in 1969 and 1972, is expected to be next. Gösgen began commercial operation in 1979 and Leibstadt in 1984.