nuclear power
Fuel elements stored near the German border
During the dismantling work at the Mühleberg nuclear power plant, fuel elements are loaded into a castor in the reactor housing. Photo: Peter Klaunzer/KEYSTONE/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
102 fuel elements from Switzerland were relocated to Castor casks in the Würenlingen interim storage facility. More than 300 more fuel elements are expected to arrive here by 2024.
Two and a half years after the Mühleberg nuclear power plant in Switzerland was shut down, a quarter of the fuel elements used there have arrived in the interim storage facility near the German border.
The dismantling of the system is progressing according to plan, said the operator, the energy company BKW. 102 fuel elements were relocated in Castor casks in the Würenlingen interim storage facility, about 15 kilometers south of the German border town of Waldshut-Tiengen. The remaining 316 fuel assemblies are scheduled to arrive there by 2024. Switzerland has not yet decided on disposal. There are three locations to choose from.
The Mühleberg nuclear power plant west of Bern was shut down at the end of 2019 after 47 years of operation. After the fuel rods have been removed, all parts of the plant and buildings that have come into contact with radioactivity are to be cleaned. After that, conventional dismantling should begin and be completed by 2034.
It is the first of the five Swiss nuclear plants that were finally shut down. After the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima in 2011, Switzerland decided not to build any more nuclear power plants. However, old systems may remain connected to the grid subject to strict safety requirements. Four reactor blocks are still in operation: Beznau I and II from 1969 and 1971 and Leibstadt (1984) near the German border southwest of Waldshut-Tiengen and Gösgen (1979) further southwest.