Axpo examines operation of the Beznau AG nuclear reactors beyond 60 years
Published: Thursday, Mar 28th 2024, 16:00
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The electricity company Axpo is examining the operation of the two oldest Swiss nuclear reactors Beznau in the canton of Aargau beyond the year 2030. According to Axpo, the clarifications are about technical feasibility. Safety is the top priority and is not negotiable.
Whether operation beyond the previously envisaged 60 years is feasible in principle depends on several factors, the energy company Axpo announced on Friday. This is being examined as part of a preliminary project.
According to Axpo, this includes the integrity of central components such as the reactor pressure vessels and the availability of personnel, suppliers and fuel. The necessary, comprehensive clarifications have been started. These are expected to take around a year as part of the preliminary project.
According to Axpo, it has invested more than CHF 2.5 billion in retrofitting and modernizing the two reactors on the Aare island in the municipality of Döttingen since they were commissioned. The energy company is also clarifying how large the investment in safety would be for operation over a period of 60 years.
The Beznau I reactor unit was connected to the grid in 1969 and reactor unit II in 1971. The two reactors produce around six terawatt hours of electricity, which corresponds to the consumption of 1.3 million four-person households.
Nuclear regulator sees "potential for improvement"
There are no lifetime limits for nuclear power plants in Switzerland. They may be operated for as long as they are deemed safe by the supervisory authority, the Swiss Federal Safety Inspectorate (Ensi). At the end of 2011, the Ensi stated in a report that there was "potential for improvement" with regard to the long-term operation of the Beznau nuclear power plant.
Long-term operation of up to 60 years was assessed by Ensi as possible. In some aspects, the original plant design of the Beznau nuclear power plant no longer corresponds to the state of the art, the Ensi stated.
The plant had carried out various, sometimes very extensive, upgrades in the past. In various areas, the nuclear power plant is at a very good safety level, Ensi wrote in its 400-page statement on the periodic safety review (PSR 2017).
Energy Foundation sees "major deficits"
The Swiss Energy Foundation (SES) has criticized the plans of energy company Axpo as "unnecessary and dangerous for Switzerland". The idea of letting Swiss nuclear power plants run forever is unnecessary. The "lack of transparency and safety deficits at the Beznau nuclear power plant" have been pointed out for years, the SES wrote in a press release.
The Beznau nuclear power plant is outdated and far from the safety standards of new nuclear power plants. A decentralized energy supply is safer than the cluster risk of centralized, old reactors that obtain their fuel from Russia.
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