Monday 14 March 2011

Swiss suspend nuclear upgrade plans

Switzerland today suspended plans to replace five aging nuclear power plants in the wake of the Japanese reactor disasters.

The country's Federal Office for Energy has suspended moves to upgrade existing plants amid safety fears.

The government said it had ordered the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Nuclear Security to "analyse the exact causes of the accident in Japan and to draw conclusions on possible stricter new standards".

The 10-year average annual proportion of nuclear energy used for producing electricity is 39%, which is above the European average of 33%, and Switzerland's five nuclear power plants have a total capacity of 3.2 gigawatts.

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