23.04.2019 | Half a century of climate-friendly power production
Beznau 50-year anniversary
The Beznau nuclear power plant (KKB) is celebrating its 50-year anniversary. Thanks to extensive upgrades and investments in maintenance and modernisation amounting to over CHF 2.5 billion the plant fulfils all the specified regulatory and legal safety requirements.
Axpo plans to operate the plant as long as it is safe and economical. With the continued operation of KKB, Axpo is making a valuable contribution to Swiss power supply and to a stable power grid. Further operation of the plant is an important pillar in implementing the Energy Strategy 2050 (more here).
The plant comprises two units. The commercial commissioning of the first (KKB 1) unit took place in December 1969 after four years of construction. KKB 2 followed in April 1972. As of commissioning up to 2018, KKB 1 produced approx. 121 273 and KKB 2 approx. 128 153 gigawatt hours of electricity. As compared to generation with a brown coal power station, a total of about 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions were prevented.
Construction
Summary of the most important upgrades and modernisation investments over the last decades