Beznau nuclear power plant: Block 1 remains offline longer than planned
Material samples from a feedwater tank indicate that more in-depth investigations are necessary, the Swiss nuclear supervisory authority announced.
(Image: Axpo)
Block 1 of the Beznau nuclear power plant should have been back on the grid since Saturday last week following planned repair work. This has been delayed by several weeks, according to the Swiss nuclear supervisory authority ENSI. The repair work on a cable in the non-nuclear area of the reactor had been completed on schedule. However, another problem has arisen.
During earlier repair work, material samples had been taken from the steel of a feedwater tank in the non-nuclear part of the reactor. According to the nuclear power plant operator Axpo, the results of the investigation now suggest that further investigations are necessary. "The safety of the plant was guaranteed at all times," the company asserts. Block 2 of the nuclear power plant is in normal operation.
No cooling towers
In August of this year, Block 1 in Beznau shut down automatically and quickly. After a defect in a valve in the non-nuclear area was repaired, the reactor was reconnected to the grid. The nuclear power plant, which has been running for 55 years, has no cooling towers and is cooled by water from the River Aare, which flows around it. In June of this year, Switzerland announced that the rules for the maximum temperature of the returned water are to be relaxed so that the nuclear power plant can continue to run even in relatively hot weather.
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In addition to the Beznau nuclear power plant, Axpo also operates the other active sites in Leibstadt and Gösgen in Switzerland. The Mühleberg nuclear power plant was shut down in 2019 after 47 years of operation and is being decommissioned by the operator BKW Energie. In 2017, the Swiss people voted not to build any more new nuclear power plants. From 2029, a decision will be made on whether Beznau I and II should be taken off the grid from 2032. At the end of August this year, it was announced that the Swiss government is planning a legislative reform to lift the ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants.
(anw)
