Never retired: Switzerland considers extending the life of the oldest nuclear power plant in the world
Surprise in Switzerland: the energy company Axpo is evaluating the possibility of extending the operational life of the Beznau nuclear power plant, the oldest in the world, until 2040 . An option that would lead the plant to exceed 60 years of activity, challenging conventions and opening a heated debate.
The previous plan called for the nuclear power plant, which became operational in 1969, to be taken off the grid in 2030. So, after the overhaul, the plant will continue to run for another 10 years and will reach the truly venerable age of 71 years. Not bad for one
“In order to further strengthen security of supply, Axpo has decided to clarify the technical feasibility of operating the Beznau nuclear power plant beyond 60 years,” the company said in a statement.
According to the company, the Beznau nuclear power plant consists of two nearly identical plants, each with a light water reactor and 365 megawatts of capacity. A technology from times gone by, truly
The two power plants are designed for 8,000 hours at full load or approximately 355 operating days per year. Together, they generate approximately 6,000 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
The company said the nuclear power plant continues to meet the “ highest safety requirements” . The Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate confirmed in a 2023 letter that the nuclear power plant complies with current safety standards.
However, the Swiss federal government announced on May 25, 2011 that it had decided to phase out nuclear energy in the long term. Obviously this decision is now coming under pressure from the new net zero standards which also influence decisions on nuclear energy.
According to the Government's decision, nuclear power plants will remain operational until the end of their useful life, after which they will not be replaced.
On May 21, 2017, the Swiss people approved the Government's Energy Strategy 2050 through a referendum, with 58.2% of votes in favour.
As a result, the construction of new nuclear power plants is prohibited, while renewable energy and more efficient use of energy are encouraged.
A controversial choice
The possible further commissioning of the Benznau nuclear power plant is causing controversy in Switzerland.
“There are numerous safety deficits in Beznau,” criticizes Nils Epprecht, director general of the Swiss Energy Foundation, among others.
According to the energy expert, the fuel pools, for example, are not adequately protected, the reactor's two pressure vessels are severely weakened and the containment is too thin to resist the destructive forces.
“Correcting these deficits would effectively mean new construction and would be too expensive,” Epprecht says.
There
Switzerland was also hit by the 2022/2023 energy crisis, triggered by the war in Ukraine and cuts to the production of Russian natural gas. the crisis was therefore accentuated by the cut in French nuclear energy production linked to the maintenance of French nuclear power plants, while the droughts of recent summers limited the main source of Swiss energy production, i.e. hydroelectric.
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The article Never retired: Switzerland considers prolonging the life of the oldest nuclear power plant in the world comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/mai-in-pensione-la-svizzera-valuta-di-prolungare-la-vita-della-piu-antica-centrale-nucleare-al-mondo/ on Sat, 30 Mar 2024 09:00:19 +0000.