Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant
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Set construction ( gross ):
The nuclear power plant Zwentendorf (also nuclear power plant in Tulln field), legal name of the operator EVN NPP ( nuclear power plant ) Zwentendorf in Zwentendorf an der Donau (Lower Austria ) is a never gone in operating nuclear power plant, which was the biggest boondoggle of the Republic of Austria, but also for domestic political symbol and Mark stone of economic history.
Planning and construction
On November 11, 1969, the construction of the nuclear power plant Zwentendorf was approved in the Council of Ministers. The plan was a boiling water reactor with 723 MW gross capacity and a net output of 692 MW, the investment volume includes 5.2 billion shillings ( € 1 billion by today's purchasing power ). On April 4, 1972, started the construction.
The energy plan of 1976, then called for the construction of three nuclear power plants in Austria. Another reactor should in St. Pantaleon-Erla/St. Valentin will be built on the border between Lower Austria and Upper Austria. A third nuclear power plant was planned in St. Andrae, Carinthia. Back in the 60s, an area had been designated by the river Drava for a nuclear power plant in Edling.
Should be installed and operated the power plant Zwentendorf of the Community nuclear power plant in Tulln Ges.mbH field ( GKT ), where the federal government and the individual states were involved through their respective power companies as follows:
- Waistband Composite with 50 %
- Tyrol ( TIWAG ) with 13.34%
- Lower Austria ( EVN ) with 10.83%,
- Styria ( Estag ) with 10%,
- Upper Austria ( OKA) with 8.33%,
- Carinthia ( Kelag ) with 3.33%
- Salzburg ( Salzburg AG of Electricity Economics (SAFE) ) with 2.5%
- Vorarlberg (FMV ) with 1.67%
At the urging of the federal states of the decision to build the nuclear power plant by the federal government under Chancellor Kreisky on 22 March 1971, please. Already the energy concept of the government under Josef Klaus called for the construction of the power plant. The boiling water reactor was built by the German Siemens AG. The containment was produced by VOEST. The exhaust chimney of the power plant has a height of 110 meters.
Plebiscite
After the construction of the nuclear power plant, the population declined but on November 5, 1978 in a referendum with a wafer- thin majority of 50.47 % ( 3,183,486 votes were valid during which corresponds to a share of 64.1 %) from the start. The referendum resulted in heated discussions, since this vote was strongly tied to the person of the then Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who wanted to withdraw in the event of a vote against the power plant. The former ÖVP chairman Josef Taus saw then a chance of overpowering Chancellor Kreisky ( SPÖ) in case of defeat to weaken or move to resign, which, however, in spite of lost voting did not occur: Bruno Kreisky achieved in the parliamentary election in 1979 his greatest electoral triumph. By March 1985, when the "silent liquidation" of the nuclear power plant Zwentendorf was decided, it cost a total of 14 billion shillings, 600 million shillings which had been required only for maintenance.
As a result, the non- commissioning has already led in December 1978 to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act, according to which in Austria in the future no nuclear power plants without referendum must be built. This law was exacerbated by the Federal Constitutional Act for a Nuclear-Free Austria in 1999, which stands in the constitutional status - since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was the anti-nuclear policy of social, as has also become politically unanimous consensus.
In addition Zwentendorf was - apart from the party political aspects - a turning point in the understanding of democracy in Austria, as well as a few years later, the events surrounding the occupation of Hainburg wetlands.
Replacement by coal-fired power plant
By never went into operation in power plant Zwentendorf lacked the Austrian energy utility Verbund this capacity. With the commissioning of the newly constructed coal-fired power plant Duernrohr 1987, the problem was solved. The location is chosen so that the already constructed power lines power plant Zwentendorf could still be used.
Moreover, current can since 1983 also on the leading from the substation to the Czech Republic Duernrohr high-voltage line, which ends in Sammelumspannwerk Slavětice the nuclear power plant Dukovany, are imported. Previously this was only over the existing to 1996 GK Duernrohr possible, which limited the import power to less than 600 MW, since the direct network combination is more than double the performance possible.
Subsequent use of the system
Today, the boiling water reactor serves as a source of spare parts for the three identical German power plants Isar 1, Brunsbuttel or Phillipsburg 1 and is used for training purposes for the German Kraftwerksschule eV in Essen. A sightseeing opportunity for the public is available from the current provider.
EVN AG has bought the plant in 2005 and set up a security training center. On the site of a photovoltaic system with a total investment of 1.2 million euros built and put into operation on June 25, 2009. With the full development of the total 1000 installed on the facade and outdoor area solar modules will provide an average of 180,000 kWh of electrical energy per year.
In 2010, together with the Technical University of Vienna, the photovoltaic research Zwentendorf was founded. This is associated with a 190 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system. This consists of two modules with Nachführungsanlagen.
In addition, other facilities were housed in the facility:
- By 2001, in the administration building, a gendarmerie school was housed.
- The area has also been used repeatedly as a training ground for emergency services in the field of civil protection.
- 2002 was in the dependance of the local Zwentendorf main school houses.
- In the school year 2009/10 was the Zwentendorf elementary school as alternative accommodation because their school building was refurbished.
And there were also environmental policy Chechen campaigns that leverage the prominence of the site and its proximity to today's Natura 2000 site Tullnerfelder Donau-Auen set:
- A hedgehog colony on the Danube was established.
- 24 July 2009 ( Climate Change, Biodiversity, commitment against hunger and poverty, democracy and civil society, and others) to individuals and representatives were on the nuclear power plant site for the first time, the Save the World Awards presented by NGOs in twelve categories.
Furthermore, there were a number of uses in the field of culture:
- In the years 1999 to 2002, the site also served as the venue for the Nuke music festivals.
- The reactor served as the backdrop for a film with Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren. However, the film never came to the cinema.
- On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the referendum of the TV movie was filmed the first day and first aired on November 6, 2008 by Andreas Prochaska.
- In autumn 2010, parts of the film were filmed residual risk within the system. Director leads Urs Egger, starring Ulrike Folkerts has. The film was broadcast on 18 January 2011 at Sat.1.
- In August 2012, the reactor served as a backdrop for the Austro- French movie RZ2 Grand Central, directed by Rebecca Zlotowski.
- Since 2012, the power plant in late May / early June is the venue of the holiday festivals. In 2012 it was the kick-off event for the pan-European referendum for a nuclear phase-out of the environmental organization GLOBAL 2000.
- The nuclear plant was used in 2011 as a backdrop for the music video for "After" the American musician Moby.
Photo Gallery
Looking into the open reactor
Turbine hall - right rear is a low-pressure turbine for the purpose of training open
Control room