Bloomberg reported this week that according to new information from Swiss utility companies, Switzerland has joined the growing number of European countries which are opting to keep their nuclear power plants operational for longer than had been previously planned, due to the fear of electricity shortages.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Switzerland receives as much as 40% of its electricity from the nation’s four nuclear reactors. The nation made the official decision to phase out its nuclear power in 2017. However no hard deadlines were set as part of the announcement, and operators are allowed to continue to run their nuclear reactors for as long as it is deemed safe to do so.

As the nation has undergone the energy crisis, and concerns have arisen that there may be energy shortages in the nation’s future, Swiss energy companies have decided to extend the operational lifespans of their reactors. Axpo Holding and Alpiq Holding, two major utilities, have already extended the planned lives of their reactors from a previous target of 50 years, to 60 years. Bloomberg reported that spokespersons for the companies told the outlet that the extension means their reactors would remain operational until about 2040.

According to the outlet, Alpiq is considering the implications of extending its reactor’s lifespans to 80 years, as it examines how such a move would affect safety, investments, and the company’s profitability.

Switzerland now joins France, Belgium, and Finland, all of which have been working on extending the lifespans of their reactors as they contemplate the inability of renewable energy sources to meet their national energy needs, and the potential for surges in electricity demand.

In the meantime, in April, Germany shut down its last nuclear power plant, as it completed its transition to renewable energy. It ended over sixty years of commercial nuclear power fueling the nation’s electricity needs. However since then the country has been beset with electricity shortfalls, forcing the largest economy in the European Union to increase imports of French electricity generated with nuclear power, as well as Czech energy produced with coal fired generators.