Swiss decommissioning company gets in position

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Swiss nuclear operator Alpiq has founded a new company to offer integrated nuclear plant decommissioning services in readiness for the post-operation stage of the country's nuclear power sector.

A view of Alpiq's co-owned Gösgen plant (Image: Alpiq)

Swiss Decommissioning AG is to be headquartered in the town of Olten. In addition to integrated solutions for the post-operation and dismantling of nuclear power plants, the company will also provide radiation protection and decontamination services.

With the first of Switzerland's five operating nuclear reactors expected to close around 2019, Alpiq says it is seizing new opportunities for its power plant business by positioning itself on the Swiss decommissioning market "at an early stage".

The Alpiq Group's coverage includes relevant nuclear decommissioning and dismantling competence and experience through its ownership of German engineering company Kraftanlagen Heidelberg. Kraftanlagen Heidelberg has been active in Switzerland for over 30 years, providing services to the CERN nuclear research project in Geneva as well as for Swiss nuclear power plants. It is also involved in German large-scale nuclear dismantling projects at Isar 1, Neckarwestheim 1, Obrigheim, Philippsburg 1 and Würgassen, and has previously completed a project to dismantle former hot cells at the Karlsruhe nuclear research centre.

Alpiq owns stakes in two of Switzerland's two nuclear power plants, holding 40% of the Gösgen pressurized water reactor and 32% of the Leibstadt boiling water reactor. Those plants are not currently expected to close before 2029 and 2034, respectively, but all the country's other operating units are expected to close before then - Mühleberg and Beznau 1 in 2019 and Beznau 2 in 2021.

The Swiss parliament decided in 2011 not to replace any of its nuclear capacity as plants retire, effectively phasing out nuclear. The Swiss Federal Energy Office (SFOE) estimated in 2011 that it will cost about CHF 20.654 billion ($22.455 billion) to close down and decommission its nuclear power plants.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News