Swiss vote for gradual nuclear phaseout, energy makeover
Geneva : The Swiss voted Sunday in favour of a massive overhaul of the country's energy system by gradually replacing the power from its ageing nuclear reactors with renewable sources.
A full 58.2 percent of Swiss voters supported the shift, according to a final tally after Sunday's referendum, with only four of the country's 26 cantons voting "no".
The move has been in the making since shortly after Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed in the March 2011 tsunami disaster, when the Swiss government decided to gradually close its nuclear plants.
Instead, it aims to increase reliance on hydraulic power as well as renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.
Sunday's vote paves the way for the government to gradually begin implementing the measures starting next January.
Backers of the change were ecstatic that the new energy received such broad acceptance, after recent opinion polls had shown the "no" side gaining ground, hinting it might not pass.
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