Swiss coalition submits referendum against new nuclear power stations

More than 131,800 signatures arrived at the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Tuesday, placing Switzerland’s nuclear policy on course for another national vote. The broad coalition behind the petition wants to block the construction of new nuclear power stations and preserve the country’s shift towards renewable energy.

The submission follows Parliament’s approval in June of a legislative amendment that would permit new nuclear plants. The referendum campaign now moves into the formal validation process. Officials must examine the signatures before the vote can be confirmed.

If the referendum receives official approval, voters could decide the issue on February 28, 2027, at the earliest. That timetable would bring the question back to the ballot box less than a decade after Switzerland adopted its energy strategy for phasing out nuclear power.

The submission also gives the campaign a strong early showing. Organisers reported more than 125,000 signatures in September. The final figure announced in Bern represents an increase of at least 6,800 signatures in a matter of weeks. The campaign has framed the result as evidence of continued public support for renewable energy and opposition to a return to nuclear construction.

Five political forces and major environmental organisations have joined the campaign, giving the referendum support across Switzerland’s centre left and parts of the political centre. The Social Democrats, Greens and Green Liberal Party back the initiative, as do sections of the Centre Party.

The Swiss Energy Foundation and Greenpeace Switzerland are also part of the coalition. Their involvement connects the parliamentary campaign with established groups that have opposed new nuclear construction and promoted renewable generation, efficiency measures and a lower carbon energy system.

The coalition says the Federal Council and Parliament are ignoring the electorate by advancing a policy that conflicts with earlier public support for renewables. Its position rests on a clear political claim: Switzerland should meet future electricity needs through renewable energy rather than reopen the question of nuclear expansion.

The alliance will need to maintain that unity during the validation period and any subsequent campaign. The source material does not identify individual campaign leaders or provide details of the coalition’s financing. It does show a coordinated effort that combines national parties with civil society organisations, a familiar feature of Swiss direct democracy.

February 28, 2027 is the earliest possible date for the vote, provided the Federal Chancellery approves the signatures and the referendum proceeds through the required process. The campaign therefore enters a period in which legal checks and political mobilisation will run in parallel.

The vote would address the legislative amendment approved by Parliament in June. That measure forms the immediate target of the referendum. A successful challenge would prevent the new legal framework from taking effect, while a rejection by voters would leave Parliament’s decision in place. The source does not specify the amendment’s full legal wording or the number of planned plants.

The timing matters for Switzerland’s energy debate. Electricity demand, supply security and the pace of renewable expansion have all shaped arguments over the country’s long term energy policy. The referendum will bring those issues into a direct national contest, with voters asked to assess whether nuclear construction should return as an option.

Until the signatures are validated, the February date remains provisional. The Federal Chancellery’s review is the next formal step before the campaign can move towards a confirmed ballot.

Switzerland is preparing for a renewed national argument over how to produce its electricity. The referendum places nuclear power and renewable energy at the centre of the same political choice, while the available source material leaves several practical questions open, including the timetable, cost and location of any future reactors.

The campaign’s stated priority is a renewable energy future. Its supporters argue that voters have already expressed a clear preference for that direction and that Parliament should not reverse course by enabling new nuclear stations. Opponents of the referendum are not identified in the source, so their expected arguments over supply security, stable generation and the speed of renewable expansion remain to be set out during the campaign.

For Swiss voters, the debate will connect federal legislation with decisions about the country’s energy infrastructure. The referendum could also test the durability of the political consensus behind Switzerland’s nuclear phaseout and energy transition.

The immediate sequence is clear: signature validation first, a possible ballot on February 28, 2027, and then a national decision on whether new nuclear power stations should remain legally possible. The result would shape the next chapter of Swiss energy policy.