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Swiss nuclear power and the case for long-term operation
Designed for 40 years but built to last far longer, Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have all entered long-term operation. Yet age alone says little about safety or performance. Through continuous upgrades, strict regulatory oversight, and extensive aging management, the country’s reactors are being prepared for decades of continued operation, in line with international practice.
P. Balligand, P. Le Gouellec, M. Dumont, A. Grauby
Nuclear Technology | Volume 38 | Number 1 | April 1978 | Pages 90-96
Technical Paper | Low-Temperature Nuclear Heat / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT78-A16160
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Since 1972, the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Electricité de France, and the French Ministry of Agriculture have jointly examined the possibility of using thermal wastes from nuclear power plants for the benefit of agricultural production. A new process to heat greenhouses with water at 303 K using a double-wall plastic mulching laid directly on the soil has been successfully used for a few years on several hectares. When necessary, heat pumps are utilized. Very good results have been obtained for tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers, and strawberries, etc. Outdoor soil heating with buried pipes has been tested in Cadarache near an experimental pressurized water reactor for market garden crops and forestry. Gains in precocity and yield have been excellent, especially for asparagus, strawberries, and potatoes. Growing of eels has been four times faster in warm water over one year.