Swiss to Abandon Atomic Power After Post-Fukushima Rethink

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/05/26/bloomberg1376-LLR9550UQVI801-2QJUTHFFSAB5DJKE512F3M4E42.DTL

Thursday, May 26, 2011

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- Switzerland's cabinet decided to phase out nuclear power by 2034 following the partial meltdown of earthquake-hit reactors in Japan.

Five Swiss nuclear plants will close as each reaches the end of its 50-year life span, the government said today in a statement. The first, at Beznau near the German border, is due to go offline in 2019.

"After Fukushima we had to rethink our use of atomic power," Energy Minister Doris Leuthard told reporters in Bern, referring to the plant struck by an earthquake on March 11. "The goal is a clean, safe and secure energy supply."

Switzerland, where 39 percent of energy production is nuclear, had already shelved two planned atomic power stations after the quake in Japan. Leuthard said the cabinet opted for a gradual shutdown of the country's nuclear plants, rejecting both their early closure and continued use.