Gösgen nuclear power plant

The Gösgen nuclear power plant (KKG) was the first Swiss nuclear power plant in the 1000 MW class to begin commercial operation in November 1979. Since then, the KKG has carried out several modernisation projects to further increase safety. These went hand in hand with investments to extend the service life to 60 years and improve profitability. As long as safety is guaranteed, the KKG has an unlimited operating licence. The KKG now generates eight billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year and thus covers around 15 percent of Switzerland's electricity demand. Net electricity production has increased by almost 17 percent over the years, which equates to an additional billion kilowatt hours per year. By contrast, the levelized costs of electricity fell from 6.30 Rp./kWh in 1980 to 3.91 Rp. in 2018. The costs for the future decommissioning of the plant and for the disposal of radioactive waste are already included.

A so-called pressurised water reactor is used in the KKG. The energy released in the reactor heats water in a separate cycle, which then evaporates. The steam drives the turbines and the turbines drive the generator to produce electricity. The residual steam condenses to water in the cooling tower circuit, which then returns to the starting point in order to be re-heated and evaporated by the reactor.