Switzerland has five nuclear power plants: Beznau I & II, Mühleberg, Gösgen and Leibstadt. In addition to the nuclear power plants, three research reactors are in operation: at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Würenlingen, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Lausanne and the University of Basel. And finally, the national central interim storage facility for radioactive waste (ZWILAG) at Würenlingen is also monitored by ENSI.
For the second time since the Fukushima accident in 2011, power plant operators have demonstrated that their plants are capable of withstanding an extremely rare, severe earthquake.
ENSI verified the status of the Swiss nuclear power plants by 327 inspections. In 2023, the year under review, 22 reportable nuclear-safety-relevant incidents were recorded at the nuclear power plants. ENSI provides detailed information in the oversight report published today.
From 6 to 8 May 2024, a delegation from the Spanish regulatory authority visited ENSI. Discussions focused on the topic of radiation protection, in particular exchanging of experience relating to the Leibstadt NPP and to the Mühleberg NPP, which is currently being dismantled.
Both Leibstadt and Beznau nuclear power plants have shown that, in the event of or after a very severe earthquake, they can ensure that their reactors are stable and safe. Dose values of one or 100 millisievert which have to be complied with will not be exceeded even after earthquakes that are only to be expected every 1,000 or 10,000 years respectively.
At its November 2022 plenary meeting, WENRA discussed the consequences of the current energy crisis on regulatory activities and issued a statement which highlights the importance of nuclear safety in this new challenging context.
For the second time since the Fukushima accident in 2011, power plant operators have demonstrated that their plants are capable of withstanding an extremely rare, severe earthquake.
ENSI experts gave IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, a guided tour of the Beznau nuclear power plant. Grossi was given a picture of the continuous improvements made to nuclear safety as laid down in the Vienna Declaration, in the setting of a Swiss example.
The reactor pressure vessel is enclosed by the containment as the third barrier. This consists of a steel primary containment and a concrete secondary containment.
With its pipelines, shut-off valves and other components, the cooling circuit, together with the reactor pressure vessel, is the second barrier for trapping radioactive substances
The reactor pressure vessel, together with the water’s cooling circuit, is the second barrier for trapping radioactive substances.
