Axpo wants to continue operating the Beznau nuclear power plant until 2033 and then shut it down

Nuclear power plants are large, threatening and controversial. At the same time, they generate a lot of electricity in a small area: the nuclear power plants (nuclear power plants) in Beznau, Gösgen and Leibstadt supplied almost a third of the electricity generated throughout Switzerland last year.

But the facilities don’t last forever. They should be shut down gradually. Switzerland will have to fill the resulting electricity gap, and the search for solutions has now taken on new urgency.

One of the three locations received a specific expiration date on Thursday. Axpo wants to shut down the Beznau nuclear power plant by 2033 after 64 years of operation. The electricity company has announced that unit 2 of the nuclear power plant should remain online until 2032 and unit 1 until 2033.

This decision was made based on technical, organizational, regulatory and economic aspects. According to Axpo, safety was the top priority in all considerations. In order to continue operations until 2033, Axpo will invest a further 350 million francs in the power plant.

The nuclear power plant in Beznau produces 6 terawatt hours of electricity per year. This corresponds to the consumption of 1.3 million four-person households and almost 10 percent of Switzerland’s total electricity consumption last year.

Mostly positive reactions to the decision

The nuclear power plant in Beznau has supplied Switzerland with electricity for decades. Nuclear power plant unit 1 was put into operation in 1969. Beznau 2 followed in 1971. It is the oldest nuclear power plant in the world that is still online. When it is decommissioned in 2033, it will have a lifespan of 64 years – slightly more than the 60 years that the federal government had previously expected for Beznau.

Axpo CEO Christoph Brand explained on Thursday that the group was pushing the limits of what was possible – continuing to operate Beznau for a longer period of time was technically impossible, even if it had been wanted politically and economically. He says: “The four additional years give Switzerland time to hurry up with the expansion of other energy sources,” says Brand. The Federal Office of Energy (BFE) also emphasizes this: “The energy transition takes time. The fact that Beznau will now be able to supply electricity for a few years longer provides the security that we can consistently pursue this path.”

The FDP National Councilor Christian Wasserfallen sees it differently. He describes the decision as a “reduction in guaranteed electricity production in Switzerland”, which will become noticeable in the winter months after Beznau is shut down.

The nuclear-critical Swiss Energy Foundation, on the other hand, welcomes the fact that the nuclear power plant in Beznau now has a clear expiry date. Managing director Nils Epprecht says: “The accelerated expansion of renewables makes it possible to continue the nuclear phase-out. Given the risks posed by nuclear power plants, this is a good decision for Switzerland.”

For Andreas Pautz, professor of nuclear engineering at ETH Lausanne and head of the nuclear energy department at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), the imminent decommissioning of Beznau is not entirely unexpected. It is known that the steel of the pressure vessel – the only component of a nuclear power plant that cannot be replaced – is becoming increasingly brittle. The options for extending the term were therefore limited.

Switzerland is heading towards a supply gap in the medium term

The remaining two nuclear power plants in Switzerland are younger than the one in Beznau: Gösgen has been in operation since 1979 and Leibstadt since 1984. The main owners Axpo and Alpiq are currently examining whether it would be possible for them to continue operating the business beyond 60 years. The SVP National Councilor Christian Imark even says that a lifespan of 100 years is possible for both nuclear power plants.

In any case, investments in maintenance, renewal and modernization are necessary to continue operating the old nuclear power plants. In the case of Leibstadt, Axpo expects further investments of around 1 billion francs by 2032.

Christoph Brand doesn’t want to decide yet when it will end in Gösgen and Leibstadt. However, one thing is certain: With nuclear power, Switzerland would lose a constant source of electricity. Brand warns that Switzerland is heading towards a supply gap in the winter months in the medium term. Contrary to what the federal government had assumed in the energy strategy, according to Brand, Switzerland will not consume less electricity in 2050, but more. The nuclear power plants that are no longer needed not only have to be replaced, but also overcompensated for.

Axpo expects different scenarios in which the expansion of renewable energy sources will take place at different speeds. In the “business as usual” scenario, in 2050, without nuclear power plants, Switzerland will lack 16 terawatt hours of electricity in the winter half of the year, almost a third of the total demand during this time. In order to cover the electricity gap, Switzerland would have to import large amounts of electricity.

Alexander Keberle from the umbrella organization Economiesuisse describes the announcement of the closure of Beznau as a wake-up call: “In the end, companies and probably the majority of the population don’t care whether the electricity comes from wind turbines, solar panels, dams, nuclear power plants or a hamster in a wheel – as long as it does it is safe, clean and not too expensive. We urgently need to move forward.”

Christoph Brand says: “The clock is ticking: What do we build now?”

Axpo’s gradual loss of importance

For Axpo, the loss of nuclear power plants is a business risk. The group now covers 40 percent of Switzerland’s electricity needs. Without nuclear power and with deeper involvement in hydropower plants, which are increasingly becoming the property of cantons and municipalities in mountain areas through the so-called reversion, Axpo will only have a fraction of it left in a few years.

Brand is confident that Axpo will be able to compensate for the decline with other businesses. The energy company also finances the expansion of renewable energy sources abroad; for example, it has wind farms in France, Spain and Italy. And the company makes most of its money from trading, i.e. selling electricity to major customers on the stock exchange.

Axpo seems to be able to exist without Switzerland. What remains unclear, however, is whether Switzerland can survive without Axpo’s power plants.