Switzerland makes important contribution to IAEA's applied nuclear research
On 20 and 21 June, Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will visit Eawag and Spiez Laboratory, where she will hear about their contributions to applied nuclear research.
Bridging Gaps to the Future in Radioactive Waste Management
On September 7, 2016, Swiss Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard and Director-General William D. Magwood, IV from the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) will open the 10th National Workshop of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) in Bern, Switzerland. National and international participants from 14 countries – including ten young people between the ages of 16 and 25 – will explore how sustainable decisions can be developed in radioactive waste management.
Electricity consumption up 0.6% in 2012
In 2012, end electricity consumption in Switzerland rose by 0.6% to 59.0 billion kilowatt hours (kWh); domestic consumption (including losses occurring in transmission and distribution) was 63.4 billion kWh. Production at Switzerland's power plants rose by 8.2% to 68.0 billion kWh, or 65.6 billion kWh after deduction of electricity consumed by storage pumps. Overall this resulted in an electricity export surplus of 2.2 billion kWh compared to an import surplus of 2.6 billion kWh in 2011.
Economic impacts of a deep geological repository on the siting region
Deep geological repositories for radioactive waste have economic, ecological and social impacts on a siting region. These need to be identified objectively and as early as possible so that action can be taken to prevent negative impacts and at the same time opportunities for positive developments can be exploited. It is with these objectives in mind that the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has been carrying out an intercantonal socioeconomic and ecological study since 2011 in all potential siting regions. The first interim report on the regional economic impacts of a deep geological repository is now available.
Federal Council decides to gradually phase out nuclear energy as part of its new energy strategy
The Federal Council intends to continue to safeguard Switzerland's high level of energy security although without nuclear energy in the medium term. That was the decision taken at its special meeting today. Existing nuclear power plants should be decommissioned at the end of their operational lifespan and not be replaced by new nuclear power plants. In order to ensure the security of supply, the Federal Council, as part of its new Energy Strategy 2050, is placing emphasis on increased energy savings (energy efficiency), the expansion of hydropower and new renewable energies, and, if necessary, on fossil fuel-based electricity production (cogeneration facilities, gas-fired combined-cycle power plants) and imports. Furthermore, Switzerland’s power grid should be expanded without delay and energy research strengthened.
Survey into attitudes to radioactive waste: Swiss citizens want to be consulted about disposal of radioactive waste
The majority of Swiss citizens are sceptical of nuclear energy, in favour of finding a rapid, definite solution for disposal of radioactive waste and want to share directly in the decision-making processes. These are the salient points of a survey into the Swiss population’s attitude to nuclear energy and radioactive waste conducted in Switzerland in the summer of 2008.
IEA scrutinizes Swiss energy policy
The International Energy Agency (IEA) submitted the Swiss energy policy to an in-depth review. William Ramsay, Deputy Executive Director of the IEA, Tues-day launched the report on Switzerland in Berne. The IEA welcomes the deci-sions by the Swiss to keep the nuclear option open and to make a new effort to increase efficiency in the energy sector. The agency is in favour of the SwissEnergy programme even if it may not suffice to achieve the country’s ambitious climate change target.