Switzerland - World Nuclear Performance Report
Switzerland has two reactors at Beznau, 30 km southwest of Zurich, one at Gösgen, 40 km southwest of Zurich and one at Leibstadt, 40 km northwest of Zurich. Together they generate up to 40% of the country’s electricity.
The country has had a policy of gradual withdrawal of nuclear power, introduced in response to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. No new reactors were to be built, but existing reactors may remain in operation as long as the regulator considered them safe. However, in August 2024 the Swiss government said it would seek to lift the ban, stating that all clean energy sources will be needed to meet expected electricity demand while also meeting climate targets. More than half of the nearly 20,000 respondents to an online poll in September 2024 supported the government’s plan.
In December 2024 Axpo announced that it plans to invest CHF 350 million (approximately $390 million) to enable Beznau, the country’s oldest nuclear plant, to operate beyond 60 years.
Nuclear electricity production by age of reactor
