The Beznau nuclear power plant (AG) has half reduced its power due to AAR temperatures. This measure, in accordance with the provisional decision of the 2019 Federal Energy Office, aims to protect the river ecosystem.
Due to the heat wave, the temperature of the AAR downstream from the Beznau nuclear power plant reached 25 degrees on Sunday. The power reduction, initiated a few days ago, gradually intensified as the water temperature continued to rise, Axpo said in a press release on Monday.
The cooling water of the Beznau power station is taken from the AAR and rejected in the river after use. During high heat, it is essential to prevent additional warming from the river water, already hot, to avoid additional stress in aquatic fauna and flora.
This is why the operator of the power plant had to react: he reduced the power of the two reactors of the power station the day before to around 50%. ‘The reduction in the power of the reactor is a measure prescribed to protect the ecological balance of the AAR’, says Michael Kessler, responsible for the nuclear energy division at Axpo, quoted in the press release.
Reaction to the heat wave of summer 2018
This is not the first time that a power station cooled by AAR water must reduce its power due to the heat wave. Following the heat of summer 2018, the Federal Energy Office (OFEN) introduced transitional regulations in 2019 with immediate effect concerning the spill of the cooling water of Beznau.
By this decision, the temperature limit set at 25 degrees for watercourses, defined in the water protection order, was made compulsory for Beznau. If the limit is exceeded or threatened to be, the power of the power station must be sharply reduced or even stopped.
Even with reduced power, the Beznau power station continues to contribute to the electrical supply of Switzerland, specifies Axpo. The operator is ‘in close contact with the competent supervisory authorities and permanently monitors the water temperature.’
If the weather conditions should further degrade, Axpo is technically and operationally ready to stop the two units if necessary, adds the company. Beznau, unlike the installations of Gösgen (SO) and Leibstadt (AG), does not have a cooling tower.
/ATS
