Switzerland To Keep Nuclear Plants Operating For Longer Than Planned
Switzerland’s nuclear power plant operators plan to keep the facilities operational for longer than initially planned, spokespeople for the large Swiss utilities Axpo Holding and Alpiq Holding told Bloomberg on Tuesday.
Switzerland has four nuclear reactors, which generate up to 40% of its electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association.
The Swiss voted in a 2017 referendum to phase out nuclear power but Switzerland has not set a deadline for this and it’s up to operators to decide how long they could operate the plants safely.
Now the energy crisis and concerns about the reliability of electricity supply in the country has prompted utilities to look to extend the lives of the reactors as long as the extension of the operations is found to be safe.
Axpo Holding and Alpiq Holding have increased the planned lifespan for their nuclear power plants to 60 years from a previous target of 50 years, which means they could be in operation until around 2040, according to the spokespeople who spoke to Bloomberg.
Great, Switzerland has real thinkers making smart decisions, unlike the United States. Perhaps our policy makers can get a few lessons from them.
GO NUCLEAR !!!!
They could seriously enhance the public perception by giving the steam coming out of the cooling towers the scent of chocolate or spiced pumpkin latte.