Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant

Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant
The Leibstadt NPP
Map
CountrySwitzerland
Coordinates47°36′11″N 8°11′05″E / 47.60306°N 8.18472°E / 47.60306; 8.18472
StatusOperational
Construction began1972
Commission dateMay 24, 1984
OperatorKernkraftwerk Leibstadt AG
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeBWR
Cooling towers1
Cooling sourceRhine River
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1,220 MW
Nameplate capacity1,220 MW
Capacity factor87.6%
Annual net output9,367 GW·h
External links
Websitewww.kkl.ch
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant (German: Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt, KKL) is located near Leibstadt, canton of Aargau, Switzerland, on the Rhine and close to the border with Germany. Commissioned in 1984, it is the youngest and most powerful of the country's four operating reactors.

Its General Electric-built boiling water reactor produces 1,220 MW of electrical power. The nuclear power station has produced approximately 8.5 TWh per year, slightly less than the Goesgen Nuclear Power Plant.

It is owned by Leibstadt AG (KKL), a consortium of six Swiss energy companies: Axpo Holding AG (split between CKW AG with 13.6%, Axpo Power AG with 22.8% and Axpo Solutions AG with 16.3%), Alpiq AG with 27.4%, BKW Energie AG with 14.5% and AEW energy AG with 5.4%. Management of the power plant was originally the responsibility of EGL AG before being transferred to Axpo.

Planning for the KKL began in 1964 for a 600 MW reactor. The Swiss Federal Council opposed direct cooling by river water, replaced in the design in 1971 with a cooling tower. During further planning the output was increased to 900 and then 1200 MW. In the wake of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident new safety regulations were implemented, delaying completion for several years. The 2 billion Swiss franc construction budget spiraled to over 5 billion before the plant opened in 1984 after eleven years of construction.

With the installation of a new low-pressure turbine in 2010 Leibstadt, achieved an increase of 40 megawatts. A new 420 tonne generator,[1] the heaviest AIL to be carried on Switzerland's roads, significantly improved the power plants performance.

The history of the completion of the KKL reflected increasingly critical attitudes toward nuclear power in Switzerland during the 1970s and 1980s, which culminated in the resistance against the Kaiseraugst Nuclear Power Plant.

Nuclear events

See also: Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate
Year INES level Total
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2018 ? 2 - – – – – – 2
2015 – – – – – – – – TBA
2014 8 1 – – – – – – 9
2013 7 – – – – – – – 7
Sources: 2018[2] · 2014[3] · 2013[4] · 2012[5]
  • In construction
    In construction
  • Aerial view
    Aerial view

See also

References

  1. ^ Grieves, Shell. "Route To Space Alliance". www.route-to-space.eu. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt meldet INES-1-Vorkommnis wegen Pumpe in Notstandssystem » ENSI". Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI. 28 June 2018. The emergency system was limited for two months.
  3. ^ "2014 ENSI Oversight Report – ENSI-AN-9252". Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI. 24 June 2015.
  4. ^ "2013 ENSI Oversight Report – ENSI-AN-8800". Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI. 30 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Regulatory Oversight Report 2012 concerning nuclear safety in Swiss nuclear installations" (PDF). June 2013. p. 20. ENSI rated one event as INES Level 1 — This related to an incident at Unit 2 of the Beznau nuclear power plant where a generator failed to start during a regular function test of the energy diesel generator