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| Fig. 1: Gösgen Nuclear Power Plant. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Nuclear power is considered a low-carbon energy source. It is harnessed through the controlled release of energy via a nuclear fission process, where heat is generated. This heat is then used to produce steam, driving a steam turbine connected to a generator that generates electricity. In the Swiss electricity system, low-carbon hydroelectric and nuclear generation play a dominant role. Specifically, the system comprises approximately 56.4 percent hydropower, 35.2 percent nuclear power, and 8.4 percent other energy sources, including renewables such as solar and wind. [1] However, nuclear energy possesses many regulatory and safety considerations. As such, Switzerland has identified a plan phase out all nuclear power by 2050. [2]
The nuclear power industry grew rapidly in the 1960s as public and private organizations saw this new form of energy as economical, environmentally clean, and safe. [2] In Switzerland, this was no expectation. In total Switzerland has established five total nuclear power plants ranging from 6 MWe to 1200 MWe. In 1962, engineers began construction on a pilot nuclear power plant underground in Lucens, Switzerland. [3] The goal of this power plant was to create a natural uranium-graphite gas reactor using heavy water as a moderator and carbon dioxide as a coolant. [3] This nuclear power plant ultimately produced 6 MWe of energy. [3] However, in 1969, the Lucens research reactor experienced a partial core meltdown due to a corrosion included loss of heat dispersal ultimately leading to an explosion projecting of heavy water, a mixture of molten magnesium and uranium, and contaminated coolant into the reactor cavern. [3] Fortunately, this reactor melt-down resulted in no harm to people or the environment and it was confined to the site. Only in 1979, was the Lucens investigation report published to the public revealing that there had been a partial core meltdown. [3]
Beyond research scale pilot plants, the Swiss scaled up nuclear power plant construction to larger capacities. In the late 1960s Switzerland established two nuclear plants. First, in 1969, Switzerland established the Benzau 1 plant in the Canton of Aargau. This plant possesses a capacity ranging from 300 to 400 MWe. [4] Next, the Swiss established the Mühleberg plant located in the Canton of Berne. This plant was initiated in 1967, commenced operations in 1971 possessing a capacity of 300-400 MWe. [2] Shortly after the establishment of these reactors, the Swiss established Beznau 2 adding another 300 to 400 MWe of energy to the electricity grid. [2] The energy landscape faced turbulence in the 1970s due to two oil crises, prompting the construction of new nuclear power plants at Gösgen (1973) (Fig. 1) and Leibstadt (1974). [4] These plants located in the Cantons of Solothurn and Aargau respectively distinguished themselves from the earlier nuclear plants with larger capacities of 900 MWe in the Gösgen plant and 1200 MWe for the Leibstadt plant. [2]
In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear disaster prompted a transformation in Switzerland's energy landscape. Subsequently, in 2017, the nation conducted a referendum called Energy Strategy 2050, in which citizens voted to initiate an energy transition. [5] This strategy rests on three fundamental pillars: (1) improving energy efficiency, (2) expanding the use of renewable energy, and (3) progressively phasing out nuclear power plants between 2019 and 2050. [5] The transition plan specifies that existing nuclear power plants will operate until the conclusion of their life expectancy, with a ban on the construction of new facilities. Consequently, the Mühleberg plant has been closed and is undergoing preparations for decommissioning. This decision to phase out nuclear energy has heightened Switzerland's urgency to develop alternative green energy sources in alignment with the decarbonization objectives outlined in "Energy Strategy 2050". [5]
© Ian Coates. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] O. Weiss et al., "The Swiss Energy Transition: Policies to Address the Energy Trilemma," Energy Policy 148 A, 111926, (2021).
[2] F. C. von Roten, "Society, Politics and Nuclear Energy in Switzerland," J. Sci. Temper 1, 101 (2013).
[3] S. Marguet, A Brief History of Nuclear Reactor Accidents (Springer, 2022), p. 29.
[4] "The Swiss Nuclear Installations: Annual Report 1994," Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, HSK-AN-2816, 1994.
[5] R. Pattupara and R. Kannan, "Alternative Low-Carbon Electricity Pathways in Switzerland and its Neighbouring Countries Under a Nuclear Phase Out-Scenario," Appl. Energy 172, 152 (2016).
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