‘We are happy to have received the decommissioning order in mid-2018,’ says BKW CEO Suzanne Thoma, ‘This way, we are procedurally on track, as well as financially and in terms of planning.’ In autumn 2017, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) and the Federal Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) positively assessed the quality of the decommissioning project submitted at the end of 2015. The order represents a significant milestone in the process and, along with the legislation, forms the legal basis for the decommissioning. The issuance of the decommissioning order according to schedule is a confirmation of the submitted proposal.
The decommissioning of the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest privately funded and executed projects in Switzerland. In October 2013, BKW decided to take the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant off the grid at the end of 2019, making it the first company in Switzerland to decommission a power reactor. Through advanced planning, the energy and infrastructure provider BKW laid the foundations for a safe, efficient decommissioning process.
Planning for the decommissioning and dismantling of the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant is already at an advanced stage: BKW submitted detailed outlines to ENSI at the end of 2017 for the period immediately after the end of operations on 20 December 2019, as well as the first stage of decommissioning. In doing so, BKW laid the groundwork for dismantling to begin immediately after the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant has been taken off the grid. The financing of the decommissioning of the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant, as well as waste disposal, is also on track. BKW will cover the costs in their entirety: it has made the necessary provisions and pays money into the Decommissioning and Waste Disposal Funds, which are monitored by the federal government.
In a video interview (in German), CEO Suzanne Thoma explains what the decommissioning order means for BKW.
You can find more information about the decommissioning of the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant in this brochure and online (both in German).
BKW will inform the local residents of the progress of the project in information sessions.
These will take place as follows:
Mühleberg | Schulhaus Allenlüften | Tuesday, 11 September 2018, doors open 7 pm |
Wohlen | Reberhaus Uettligen | Monday, 17 September 2018, doors open 7 pm |