Ensi demands improvements for the long-term operation of the Gösgen nuclear power plant
Published: Tuesday, Jan 23rd 2024, 14:50
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According to the nuclear supervisory authority Ensi, the Gösgen nuclear power plant in the canton of Solothurn must implement numerous improvements and provide evidence for long-term operation. Ensi considers the retrofits that have been carried out and are planned for an operation of over 40 years to be "adequate overall".
The Gösgen nuclear power plant in Däniken SO submitted a safety case for long-term operation for the first time at the end of 2018 with the report on the periodic safety review (PSR). The Gösgen nuclear power plant began commercial operation in November 1979.
In its statement on the PSR published on its website, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (Ensi) states that the nuclear power plant is being operated prudently and is at a good safety level. However, improvements are required.
More than 60 receivables
The aim is to continue the systematic review of the design or to improve the deterministic accident analyses, wrote the Ensi. More than 60 requirements are listed in the 484-page final report.
The operator must provide numerous verifications and submit reports, for example on earthquake safety and internal flooding. Another issue is the radiological impact on personnel in the event of serious accidents and the options for intervention. Numerous proofs must already be provided by the end of the year.
Safety margins are shrinking
According to Ensi, the Gösgen nuclear power plant entered long-term operation in 2019 after four decades. As the requirements evolved with the state of the art in science and technology and the ageing of a plant progressed, the so-called safety margins at the Gösgen nuclear power plant also became smaller, it said.
To counteract this, the Gösgen NPP has, according to Ensi, developed a comprehensive retrofit concept in addition to its ageing monitoring program and has already begun to implement it. For large components such as the reactor pressure vessel, primary circuit, steel pressure shell and concrete shell, which are difficult or impossible to replace, the operator is carrying out the necessary verifications.
Rosa Sardella, Head of Ensi's Radiation Protection Division, said that the operator's proactive approach to investing in the safety of the nuclear power plant for operation beyond 40 years was generally welcomed.
The retrofits already carried out and planned for long-term operation, such as the expansion of the emergency system and the replacement of the control technology, are "considered adequate overall". They must be implemented in good time. The retrofitting measures will ensure that a high level of safety is achieved as a basis for long-term operation.
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