Switzerland « nuclear-news

Switzerland to switch from nuclear energy to renewables

SWITZERLAND LOOKING TO REPLACE NUCLEAR ENERGY WITH SOLAR REVMODO, DAVID QUILTY | 24 JULY, 2012 In 2011, the Swiss parliament decided not to build any more nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster in Japan. As nuclear currently supplies some 40 percent of the country’s energy needs, they are in search of ways to replace the energy source with cleaner alternatives. Solar is being debated as the front-runner to use as a replacement and plans are in the works to use the technology to replace at least one half the nuclear power used now. Representatives from the solar and the electricity industries are at odds as to whether it is viable, with solar industry insiders saying they can meet 20 percent of needs by 2025 and electric companies saying gas-fired plants are the way to go. However, the government doesn’t want to go with gas-fired plants as it won’t allow it to meet carbon emission reduction goals.

Also up for debate is whether solar power should be fully subsidized by the government in order to expedite installations or if electricity providers should play a wait and watch game to see if prices of photovoltaics come down anytime soon. Germany is heavily subsidizing renewables and have so far succeeded in setting a world record for solar power production, generating nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity demand in May. That’s the energy equivalent of 20 nuclear power plants operating at full capacity…… it is some very welcome news that Switzerland wants to replace nuclear energy with clean renewables.

July 29, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Danger to nuclear power plants of extreme weather conditions

Nuclear plants must resist extreme weather http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Nuclear_plants_must_resist_extreme_weather.html?cid=33059156 Jul 6, 2012 Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have until the end of 2013 to demonstrate to the country’s safety watchdog that they are equipped to withstand weather conditions such as tornados, high winds, heavy snowfall and extreme temperatures. Continue reading →

July 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear movement encouraged by Swiss court ruling to close Mühleberg nuclear power station

Mühleberg decision heartens foreign activists by Peter Siegenthaler and Samuel Jaberg, swissinfo.ch Mar 19, 2012 A ruling by the Swiss Administrative Court ordering the closure of the Mühleberg nuclear power station has galvanised anti-nuclear campaigners elsewhere in Europe too. If the plant, just outside Bern, really is closed down, this would step up pressure on old nuclear stations at home and abroad. Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, opposition to nuclear, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Move to close Mühleberg atomic plant, then Beznau

Future of nuclear plant on shaky ground by Clare O’Dea, swissinfo.ch Mar 7, 2012 The Mühleberg atomic plant near Bern will lose its operating licence at the end of June 2013 on security grounds, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled…. In its judgment on Mühleberg, the court said various factors imposed a limit on the plant’s viability, including the condition of the reactor’s core shroud, which has fissures in it.

Other security questions cited were the inconclusive evaluations on security in the event of an earthquake and the absence of a cooling system independent of the Aare river…. The court’s decision has been hailed as a victory by anti-nuclear campaigners who swiftly called for the same action to be taken for Switzerland’s and the world’s oldest nuclear power plant Beznau.

Greenpeace called it “a stage victory for the safety of the Swiss population”, while the anti-nuclear organisation Swiss Energy Foundation (SES) said the verdict was a slap in the face for the federal authorities, whose work had clearly been called in
question…. the lawyer for the group that pursued the case against BKW – more than 100 local residents and an environmental group – said the decision spelled the end of Mühleberg. “I do not think that BKW is going to make such an investment within a year,” Rainer Weibel told Swiss television.

Shaky ground With the future of Mühleberg now on shaky ground, the focus will shift to the Beznau I plant in canton Aarau, commissioned in 1969.

Critics say safety issues prove Beznau’s time is up, claiming the emergency power supply is unreliable, the reactor cover has corrosion problems and the steel container has cracks….
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Future_of_nuclear_plant_on_shaky_ground.html?cid=32250844

March 8, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Early shutdown for nuclear power plant – court orders

Swiss court orders nuclear plant offline in 2013 By Katharina BartMar 7, 2012 ZURICH, March 7 (Reuters) – A Swiss court ruled that Switzerland’s Muehleberg nuclear power plant must go offline next year for security reasons, according to a judgment made public on Wednesday.

“The state of the nuclear shell, the assessment of the plant’s resistance to withstand earthquakes which is not complete, and lacking cooling possibilities independent of the river Aare allow operations of Muehleberg only up to mid 2013 at the most,” the federal
administrative court said in a ruling handed down March 1.

The ruling backs residents near to the plan in their bid to have the court overturn a previous decision by environment, transport energy and communication department UVEK to grant a longer operational period…

.. Muehleberg, built in 1972, is one of the plants frequently cited by opponents of nuclear energy as ripe for mothballing. The government decided to scrap plans to build new nuclear reactors after Fukushima shook public confidence in the industry. Until now, it had not planned to shut existing power plants prematurely…. http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E8E771P20120307

March 8, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Call to shut down Switzerland’s old Beznau nuclear plant

Swiss environmental groups want Beznau nuclear plant shut Google News, (AFP) – 24 Feb 12 GENEVA — Switzerland’s Beznau nuclear plant will soon boast the “dubious record” of being the oldest nuclear plant in the world and should be shut down, a group of environmental organisations said Thursday.
The 15 organisations which include WWF Switzerland, Greenpeace, Fokus Anti-Atom and various chapters of the Green Party, noted that Oldbury in England, inaugurated in 1967, will shut down next week. They said Beznau should also be shut down.
“Many security problems show that Beznau has run its course,” said the organizations in a joint statement about the nuclear plant that began operating in 1969.
They said there are cracks in the mantle of the reactor and in the steel containment shell, something strongly denied by Axpo, the energy company that operates Beznau. “As a precaution the lid of the reactor is to be changed, but there is no crack,” said an Axpo spokeswoman.
Beznau is scheduled for decommissioning in 2019 after 50 years of operation. Last September, the Swiss Parliament approved a nuclear phase-out for the country’s five nuclear reactors, due to be decommissioned by 2034.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iNboOs4ir0vGEj7pkKhu4r6ryvQw?docId=CNG.72ca66ee1a4afc263528e0bb35442cac.1b1

February 24, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Switzerland’s nuclear plants must prove safety features

Swiss nuclear plants need more safety reviews FRANKFURT, Jan 10 (Reuters) by Vera Eckert, – Switzerland’s safety precautions for its nuclear reactors must be further reviewed and more proof that they can withstand major earthquakes must be filed by the end of March, its nuclear safety authority ENSI said on Tuesday.

The assessment was made in the context of stress tests which the country demanded last June in line with the European Union following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year.

Switzerland was among seven EU neighbours that agreed to follow the bloc’s lead by imposing new safety checks. “These safety measures will be based on toughter risk assumptions than
assumed in EU stress tests,” the authority said in a statement on its website. “ENSI will assess the plants’ assurances. Results are due by end-June.”

Should they be viewed as insufficient to offer protection against natural disasters, in particular the combination of earthquakes and failure of dams near power stations, ENSI could in theory require plants to stop production, it said…..
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/10/switzerland-nuclear-ensi-idUSL6E8CA3E620120110

January 11, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Nuclear smuggling trial in Switzerland, CIA link to be covered up

“This deal has been done to keep the CIA link out of court,”

Nuclear smugglers who aided AQ Khan face trial in Switzerland, The Guardian UK, Julian Borger,13 Dec 11 Friedrich, Urs and Marco Tinner to stand trial but their claims of CIA involvement will not be examined in plea-bargain deal. Switzerland has charged three members of the same family for their role in the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear smuggling network after a plea deal which will mean that their claims of collaboration with the CIA
will not be examined in court. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Swiss men smuggled nuclear weapons technology while working for CIA

3 Swiss to avoid trial in politically sensitive nuclear smuggling case, Washington Post, By Associated Press, November 13 BERN, Switzerland — Swiss prosecutors will opt to avoid a public trial for three Swiss men suspected of giving nuclear weapons technology and supplies to a rogue network in Pakistan, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The case is politically sensitive for Switzerland and the United States because of alleged national security implications, the men’s alleged CIA ties, and repeated instances of evidence being destroyed.It involves charges of violating Swiss nonproliferation laws. Continue reading →

November 14, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Switzerland to phase out nuclear energy

Environmental group Green Cross International’s president Mikhail Gorbachev meanwhile welcomed Switzerland’s decision.

“I applaud Switzerland for taking this brave step towards ending its reliance on nuclear energy,” he said in a statement.

Swiss parliament approves nuclear plant phase out, Google News, By Hui Min Neo (AFP) – 29 Sept 11, GENEVA — The Swiss parliament’s upper house on Wednesday approved plans to phase out the country’s nuclear plants over the next two decades in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Continue reading →

September 30, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Swiss government preparing for end to nuclear power

Parliament takes first step in nuclear opt-out, SwissInfo 8 June It could take several years before the necessary legal amendments will have been discussed by parliament. Voters are also likely to have a say on the issue at the ballot box.

Two weeks ago the cabinet decided to decommission Switzerland’s five nuclear power reactors by 2034, once they reach the end of their lifespan. It announced its intention to boost renewable energy resources and promote energy saving methods instead of building new nuclear power plants….. The government has won approval from a majority of the House of Representatives for a proposed gradual withdrawal from nuclear energy.

The house called on the cabinet to remove administrative hurdles for renewable energy projects and promote research in this field but also wants to curb the right of environmental groups to block the construction of wind- and hydro-power plants……All the decisions taken in Wednesday’s marathon debate still have to be confirmed by the Senate at a later stage…….http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Parliament_takes_first_step_in_nuclear_opt-out.html?cid=30419192

June 9, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Switzerland to phase out nuclear power

Switzerland Decides on Nuclear Phase-Out by James Kanter, 25 may , NYTimes.com, BRUSSELS — The Swiss government decided Wednesday to abandon plans to build new nuclear reactors, while European Union regulators agreed on a framework for stress-testing theirs, as repercussions from the disaster in Japan continue to ripple across Europe. Continue reading →

May 26, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

20,000 protest against nuclear power in Switzerland

Swiss protest nuclear power, Google News, (AFP) – 23 May 11, DOETTINGEN, Switzerland — About 20,000 people took part in an anti-nuclear demonstration in north Switzerland on Sunday ahead of a government decision on the future of atomic energy in the country.” At least 20,000″ protesters joined the march near the town of Doettingen and the Beznau nuclear power plant, Switzerland’s oldest, police and organisers said. Continue reading →

May 23, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Swiss nuclear power industry office attacked by letter bomb

Letter bomb at Swissnuclear TODAYonline Apr 01, 2011 OLTEN (Switzerland) – A letter bomb exploded yesterday at an office of the Swiss nuclear power industry in the northern city of Olten, injuring two people, according to the police.
he explosion happened shortly after 8am local time, as staff were opening the morning’s post in the fourth-floor office of Swissnuclear, said police spokeswoman Thalia Schweizer. She added that two female employees were taken to hospital with superficial burns and hearing damage. Police cordoned off the office of Swissnuclear – a lobby representing national power companies Axpo, Alpiq and BKW – and Ms Schweizer said they had forensic specialists on the ground.

Switzerland has five nuclear reactors currently in operation and opponents of nuclear power in the country have become more vocal in recent weeks following Japan’s nuclear crisis……….TODAYonline | World | Letter bomb at Swissnuclear

April 1, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Swiss doubts about nuclear power, with waste problem unsolved

a scenario published by the government saying withdrawal from nuclear energy was feasible by 2035…..Under the Swiss constitution, operators of nuclear power plants are responsible for the safe disposal of their nuclear waste at their own costs.

New nuclear plant put to a test ballot. by Gaby Ochsenbein, swissinfo. 23 Jan 2011, A non-binding vote on February 13 on the construction of a nuclear power plant outside the capital Bern is seen as a test for Switzerland’s nuclear power policy…… Continue reading →

January 23, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

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