28.03.2013

Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant

Federal Court upholds appeal against new time limit on operating permit

The Federal Court has upheld in full the appeal lodged by BKW Inc. against the Federal Administrative Court's decision of 1 March 2012. This means that the operating permit on Mühleberg nuclear power plant (KKM) is now definitively unlimited and ensures that the plant will enjoy equal treatment with other Swiss nuclear power plants.

In its judgement dated 1 March 2012, the Federal Administrative Court upheld the decision to lift the politically-motivated time limit imposed by the Federal Department for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) on the operating permit for the KKM, but for safety considerations set a new time limit of 28 June 2013. It also asked BKW to submit to DETEC an application for the plant's continued operation together with a comprehensive maintenance concept for long-term operation. BKW submitted the required documents on 9 August 2012, in compliance with the Federal Administrative Court's request. At the end of December 2012 the Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) approved the evidence submitted for the plant's long-term operation but ordered comprehensive upgrades to be carried out with a view to the plant's continued operation beyond 2017. ENSI also ordered that binding implementation plans for the upgrade projects be submitted by 30 June.

Now that the Federal Court has ruled on the matter, BKW can concentrate on drawing up the implementation plans requested by ENSI and finalise the analysis on which to base the bottom-line and investment decisions regarding the KKM's continued operation. Intensive work has been underway for several months with this in mind.

Additional information

A media conference will be held today at which Urs Gasche, Chairman of BKW Inc., and Suzanne Thoma, CEO, will be on hand to provide further information to all interested media representatives.

The event will be held at 14:00 today in the Restaurant Schmiedstube, Schmiedenplatz 5, 3011 Berne.

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