Water vapor escaped Fast shutdown at the Beznau nuclear power plant

The energy company Axpo reported a rapid shutdown at the Beznau 2 nuclear power plant on Monday night. The plant is said to have been in a safe condition at all times.

Keystone-SDA

24.03.2025, 05:38

24.03.2025, 07:41

SDA

The reactor in Block 2 of the Beznau nuclear power plant (NPP) in Döttingen AG was shut down automatically late on Sunday evening. The reason was the failure of a grid connection, according to the energy company Axpo. The plant was therefore always in a safe condition.

The automatic rapid shutdown occurred at 10.31 p.m. on Sunday due to a failed connection to the 220-kilovolt power grid, according to a statement from the operator Axpo early Monday morning.

The shutdown caused non-radioactive water vapor to escape via the roof in the non-nuclear part of the turbine building. The cause of the grid connection failure is being investigated, Axpo announced.

The supervisory authority Ensi, short for the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, and other authorities have been informed in accordance with regulations. Unit 1 of the Beznau nuclear power plant continues to operate normally, according to the statement.

Nuclear power plant shutdownThis is how much electricity will be lost with Beznau and how it is to be replaced

Shutdown announced for 2032

The Beznau 2 reactor unit is the newer of two units and was connected to the grid in 1971 - the older one, Beznau 1, in 1969. Axpo has announced that the reactors will be shut down in 2032 (Beznau 2) and 2033 (Beznau 1).

Both plants are located in Döttingen AG. There are also two other nuclear power plants, one in Leibstadt AG and one in Däniken SO. A fifth nuclear power plant in Mühleberg BE was shut down in 2019 after 47 years. 82 percent of Swiss nuclear power plants are owned by the public sector.