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.
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 Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate assessed the earthquake safety of the Beznau nuclear power plant in accordance with the legal requirements. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has thus rejected an appeal lodged by 15 individuals.
Swiss nuclear power plants have an adequate level of protection against a deliberate plane crash. This is confirmed by an update of the associated analyses ordered by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) in 2013. For security reasons, the details are being kept under wraps.
Hans Wanner, Director General of ENSI: “Axpo has proved that the inclusions found in the steel of the reactor pressure vessel do not have a negative effect on the safety. “
Beznau 1 NPP gets the go-ahead to start up again. Axpo has proved that the inclusions found in the steel of the reactor pressure vessel do not have a negative effect on safety. ENSI, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, has reviewed and accepted the safety case.
An international panel of experts supported the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI in assessing Axpo’s safety case for the Beznau 1 reactor pressure vessel. In an interview, the chair of the review panel Tim Williams explains why they support the conclusion that Beznau 1 may be restarted. The IRP has been following Axpo’s safety […]
