A nuclear power plant in Switzerland is lowering its output in order to prevent the river that cools it from hitting temperature levels dangerous to marine life, in the latest example of how Europe’s current heatwave is having wide-reaching effects.
On Monday, the Swiss national media house, citing the country’s public broadcaster SRF, said the Beznau nuclear power plant had temporarily scaled back operations to stop the temperature of the River Aare from rising “to levels that are dangerous for fish.
The Beznau plant is made up of two light water reactors that collectively produce roughly 6,000-gigawatt hours of electricity annually. This, plant operator Axpo says, corresponds to around twice the electricity consumption of the city of Zurich.
Instead of using a cooling tower to regulate temperatures, the Beznau facility uses the River Aare. Through its operations, the plant heats this water, which is eventually funneled back to the river.
According to Axpo, the plant heats the water by 0.7 to 1 degree Celsius when it’s in full load operation, adding that this is dependent on water conditions. With Switzerland currently experiencing high temperatures, the decision has been taken to reduce output.
The output of the Beznau plant was, the spokesperson said, regulated during the course of the day depending on the current temperature of the Aare so that the requirements are met at all times.
