nuclear-news

Swiss doubts about nuclear power, with waste problem unsolved

a scenario published by the government saying withdrawal from nuclear energy was feasible by 2035…..Under the Swiss constitution, operators of nuclear power plants are responsible for the safe disposal of their nuclear waste at their own costs.

New nuclear plant put to a test ballot. by Gaby Ochsenbein, swissinfo. 23 Jan 2011, A non-binding vote on February 13 on the construction of a nuclear power plant outside the capital Bern is seen as a test for Switzerland’s nuclear power policy……….Environment Green Party parliamentarian Franziska Teuscher……nuclear energy was outdated.

“There are much better and less dangerous alternatives today,” she said.
Teuscher, an experienced anti-nuclear campaigner, said more efforts should also be made to save energy.
“Besides, renewable energy from wind and solar power as well as from wood can be reliable sources and replace nuclear power.”

She also referred to a scenario published by the government saying withdrawal from nuclear energy was feasible by 2035.

Risks
Opponents highlight the safety risks of nuclear energy for the environment and the population,

Waste

Under the Swiss constitution, operators of nuclear power plants are responsible for the safe disposal of their nuclear waste at their own costs.

However, after years of searching, the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste, known under its German acronym Nagra, is still looking for a suitable underground repository to avoid any danger for people and the environment over 200,000 years.

It is still unclear where the nuclear waste from Swiss nuclear power stations will be stored. A central interim dry cask storage facility for high-level waste was opened in northern Switzerland in 2001.

As part of a highly emotional campaign over the past weeks, it emerged that the authorities did not mention that the project for a new plant in Mühleberg foresees the construction of interim storage facilities.

January 23, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland