On 29 November 2009, Vaud voters are consulted on an unusual matter: the opinion the canton must give the Confederation on Bernese utility BKW's request to remove the time limit on the operating licence of the Mühleberg nuclear plant, filed on 25 January 2005. The cantonal government had issued a favourable opinion; the cantonal parliament, however, chose to put it to the people.
Mühleberg, commissioned in 1972 on the banks of the Aare, is one of the country's oldest plants. Neighbouring Vaud has no decision-making power: only the Confederation, through the federal energy department (DETEC), is competent. The vote is therefore purely consultative — a citizens' opinion, not a legal lock.
The debate, a little over a year before the Fukushima disaster, pits security of supply against the risks of open-ended nuclear operation. The question is whether this purely symbolic opinion nonetheless got it right.
▲ The ballot verdict About 64 % of Vaud voters reject the favourable opinion. The message is clear: no green light for open-ended operation of Mühleberg. | ▼ Consultative weight only The vote does not bind the Confederation: the Vaud government is overruled, but only Bern (DETEC) actually decides the plant's future. |
The two camps
▲ Yes camp (for the favourable opinion) • A majority of the Vaud cantonal government, backing removal of the time limit • The FDP/PLR and the SVP/UDC, along with business circles • Operator BKW FMB Energie, in the name of security of supply | ▼ No camp (against) • The Vaud Greens and the Socialist Party • Anti-nuclear and environmental groups (Sortir du nucléaire) • A public wary of an ageing plant |
Arguments and verdicts
▲ Arguments FOR (Yes camp) Mühleberg is safe and vital to supply. « The plant is safe and needed for energy security » (operator and right-wing argument, 2009). ✗~ Partly disproved. The plant did run until 2019, but flaws (cracks in the core shroud) and costly safety requirements led BKW to give up. Vaud and Swiss supply was not jeopardised after the shutdown. Source: Wikipedia, Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant; BKW. An unlimited licence secures long-term planning. « Removing the limit provides a stable horizon » (supporters' argument, 2009). ✗ Disproved. The Federal Supreme Court refused the unlimited operating licence in 2012. Operation remained strictly time-bound before the final shutdown on safety and cost grounds. Source: ATS / RTS; Federal Supreme Court ruling, 2012. | ▼ Arguments AGAINST (No camp) Nuclear risk does not justify open-ended operation. « An old plant must not run indefinitely » (opponents' argument, 2009). ✓ Confirmed. After Fukushima (2011), the Confederation decided on a gradual nuclear phase-out. Mühleberg, one of the oldest plants, was shut down in late 2019 — in line with the Vaud vote. Source: Federal Council, 2011 decision; RTS. Mühleberg is too old to be extended without a deadline. « The plant's age demands a time limit » (opponents' argument, 2009). ✓ Confirmed. Commissioned in 1972, Mühleberg was permanently disconnected on 20 December 2019, the operator judging the safety investment too heavy to continue. Source: BKW, 2013 announcement; shutdown of 20 December 2019. |
The reckoning, ten years on
The 2009 consultative vote carried no binding force — yet ten years later the Vaud ballot had it right. Fukushima upended Swiss energy policy, technical flaws and safety costs did the rest, and the plant closed in 2019. The citizens' opinion, legally ignored, was confirmed by the facts.
29.11.2009 Date of the vote (consultative) | ≈ 64 % No to the favourable opinion | 2019 Mühleberg shutdown | n/a Turnout |
The 2009 vote is a rare case: a ballot without power, which the canton knows in advance will not bind the Confederation. Vaud voters seize it anyway to send a clear message — nearly 64 % refuse to endorse open-ended operation of Mühleberg.
At the time the opinion looks purely symbolic: DETEC decides. The favourable government is overruled by its own population, which changes nothing in immediate legal terms.
History, though, proved the ballot right. Fukushima upended Swiss energy policy in 2011; core-shroud cracks and safety costs did the rest. In 2019 Mühleberg shuts down — exactly what Vaud voters had refused to endorse.
The yes camp's arguments — guaranteed safety, threatened supply — were largely overtaken by events. A consultative vote, then, that has aged well.