goingcritical:gosgenSwitzerland · Power reactor
Gösgen
Status: Operating critical since January 20, 1979 Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Däniken, Solothurn
A Siemens/KWU three-loop pressurized water reactor on the Aare river at Däniken, operated by KKG. Reached first criticality on 20 January 1979 and entered commercial operation in November 1979. One of Switzerland's four operating reactors and the country's largest by a single-unit design of its era.
Details
| Design | Siemens/KWU PWR |
| Electrical output | 1,010 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start December 1, 1973
- Fuel load —
- First criticality January 20, 1979
- Grid connection February 2, 1979
- Commercial operation November 1, 1979