25 Jahre Beznau II

Slightly overshadowed by its sister plant, which is two years older, unit II of the Beznau Nuclear Power Station (KKB) this year is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of its commissioning. The plant operator, Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke (NOK) in Baden, Switzerland, estimates that the operating life of the plant will be at least twice as long. Recent technical examinations and economic considerations allow the conclusion to be drawn that a service life of fifty years or more is absolutely realistic. However, also in Switzerland technical plant safety and economic viability are giving way to politically motivated difficulties. Although the Swiss population expressed itself in favor of continuing the operation of existing nuclear power plants in three referenda, the most recent vote of 1991 additionally included a moratorium prohibiting the construction of new plants for a period of ten years. In the light of an expected project design and execution period of nearly twenty years, this is tantamount to no construction of new nuclear power plants for the time being. Yet, some thirty years ago, the political environment in Switzerland was still quite positive as far as nuclear power is concerned. In 1964, the Swiss power economy had reached a turning point in meeting the continuously rising energy demand. The best hydroelectric plants, from the point of view of geographic conditions, had already been built, while projects still under consideration were fraught with very high costs of construction. After a discussion about oil fired thermal plants NOK, as the largest Swiss power utility, in late 1964 decided in favor of building the Beznau Nuclear Power Station also for environmental reasons. The choice of site had been based on the existence of one of the main load regions nearby, i. e. the Zurich agglomeration area, and the location of a major grid node on the isle of Beznau in the Aare River, a short distance upstream of the discharge of that river into the Rhine River. Other site advantages were the high availability of cooling water from the Aare River, and the existing railroad and road connections.