The Beznau plant (Image: ENSI)
The two 365 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactors at the Beznau plant are the oldest power reactors in Switzerland. Unit 1 began operating in 1969, while unit 2 entered operation in 1972. In addition to providing power, both units also produce district heating.
There are no service life restrictions for nuclear power plants in Switzerland – they may continue to operate as long as it remains safe to do so. Axpo announced in April that it was planning to operate the Beznau plant for 60 years, but was assessing the fundamental feasibility of operating it beyond this scope.
"Axpo has made extensive clarifications and conducted investigations," the company said. "External specialists and suppliers were also consulted and discussions were held with the supervisory authority ENSI. Safety was the top priority in all considerations.
"Axpo has now decided that unit 2 of the nuclear power plant will remain on the grid until 2032 and unit 1 until 2033. They will then be decommissioned and dismantled. This decision was based on our social responsibility as well as technical, organisational, regulatory and economic aspects."
Since their commissioning, Axpo has invested more than CHF2.5 billion into retrofitting and modernising the two units at Beznau. In order to ensure operation until 2033, Axpo will now invest a further CHF350 million.
The Beznau plant produces about 6 TWh of electricity annually, meeting the needs of 1.3 million four-person households.
