Swiss nuclear power plant shuts down reactor due to the heat
Beznau nuclear power plant shuts down one of its reactors due to the heat
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss nuclear power plant shuts down reactor due to the heat
The Beznau nuclear power plant in the canton of Aargau has been partially disconnected from the grid due to the heat. One of the two reactors has been shut down, and the second unit is still running at an output of 50%.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
AKW Beznau stellt wegen der Hitze einen seiner Reaktoren ab
Original
The reason for the shutdown of one reactor unit on Tuesday is the high water temperature of the River Aare, as announced by the operator Axpo on Wednesday. The output of the two water-cooled reactors was already reduced by half last Sunday.
Until now, the Aare at the site of the nuclear power plant near Döttingen was still below 25 degrees, according to the press release. Axpo is complying with federal directives by throttling its nuclear power plant. The measure is intended to protect the flora and fauna in the river from excessive pollution.
The order from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) was issued in the wake of the 2018 summer heatwave. The fact that the Beznau nuclear power plant has to reduce its output is due to its design.
Unlike the plants in Gösgen and Leibstadt, it does not have a cooling tower. Instead, the heat that cannot be used to generate electricity is cooled with water that is taken from the River Aare and later released slightly warmed up.
What is your opinion? Join the debate:
External Content
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.
Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.
If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at english@swissinfo.ch
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
High-net-worth individuals prioritise well-being over material possessions
This content was published on
The priorities of wealthy private individuals have shifted against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes. While spending on luxury goods is declining, demand for travel and experiences is unabated.
Swiss researchers sequence genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus
This content was published on
Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Zurich (UZH) have sequenced the genome of the Spanish flu virus, thanks to a sample taken from an 18-year-old Swiss boy who died in the city on the Limmat in 1918, when the pandemic spread around the world.
Swiss martyr beatified in Barcelona by Catholic Church
This content was published on
François-Benjamin May (1870-1909), a member of the Marist Brothers congregation, has been recognised as a 'blessed' by the Catholic Church.
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.