Axpo wants to keep Beznau nuclear power plant running until 2033
Published: Thursday, Dec 5th 2024, 08:20
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The Swiss nuclear power plants Beznau 1 and Beznau 2 are expected to continue producing electricity for another eight to nine years. Block 1 is already the world's oldest nuclear power plant on the grid.
The power plant operator Axpo has decided that Block 2 of the nuclear power plant will continue to run until 2032 and Block 1 until 2033, according to a press release issued on Thursday. They will then be decommissioned and shut down. Beznau will therefore have 64 years of electricity production when it is shut down.
The decision follows "extensive" reviews, Axpo wrote. External specialists, suppliers and the supervisory authority Ensi were involved. "Safety was the top priority in all considerations."
To ensure continued operation, Switzerland's largest energy company will invest a further CHF 350 million. Since commissioning, Axpo has invested over 2.5 billion in the retrofitting and modernization of the two power plant units.
The Beznau nuclear power plant produces around 6 terawatt hours of electricity per year, which corresponds to the consumption of 1.3 million four-person households. Block 1 has been on the grid since 1969 and Block 2 since 1971. The reactors have open-ended operating licenses and there has been no specific shutdown date to date.
Within the industry, a service life of at least 60 years has been traded to date. For example, Switzerland's newest and largest nuclear power plant in Leibstadt, which has been in operation since 1984, is expected to produce electricity until at least 2045.
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