The oldest nuclear power plant in the world that is still operating is Beznau in Switzerland. With both units of the power plant fully operational in 1972, plans are for it to continue to operate until it is completely decommissioned in 2033. Switzerland has no policies in place to stop nuclear power plants after a set amount of time, instead, it is determined based on safety evaluations. However, because of Beznau’s age and its presence in general, it has come under plenty of backlash.
The Beznau nuclear power plant has seen its fair share of incidents. It has had nearly 100 safety incidents across its history, alarming the residents of the surrounding area. It was even temporarily closed for repairs from 2015 to 2018 due to issues with its steam generators, and its reactor was found to have cracks around it that same initial year.
The public isn’t entirely happy about Beznau still being in operation. Nuclear power tends to be controversial because of the danger accidents pose, as well as the fact that nuclear waste doesn’t ever truly go away. There have been gatherings of protestors around Beznau a couple of times in the past, with one protest attracting 20,000 people. Still, it doesn’t look like Beznau has plans to retire early.
Incidents at the nuclear power plant
Despite the modern movement of big tech focusing on nuclear energy for the future, past incidents in nuclear power have made some of the public wary. In early 2025, Beznau went into an emergency shutdown due to a power grid connection failure. That subsequently caused water vapor to escape, but authorities and the operator of the Beznau, Axpo Holdings, assured there was never any danger. Still, living near a nuclear reactor that has an emergency shutdown is not a fun experience for anyone.
In 2009, two workers were setting up lights under the Beznau reactor during routine maintenance when another team unknowingly pulled out highly radioactive equipment above them. This caused radiation levels in the room to spike suddenly, forcing the workers to escape. Both received radiation doses above the yearly safety limit, and it was categorized as a level 2 incident.
There were over 90 incidents at the nuclear reactor between 1995 and 2014, but the overwhelming majority were considered a safer level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Beznau was partially shut down in 2015 after inspections found small manufacturing flaws of tiny aluminum-oxide spots in the steel of its reactor vessel. The plant’s operator created a detailed safety report and even built a replica of the vessel section to prove the flaws were original manufacturing marks and did not weaken the material.
Public backlash to the nuclear power plant
It’s not only Beznau’s age but it being a nuclear power plant in general that has resulted in backlash. In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan was damaged because of an earthquake and its subsequent tsunami. It forced an evacuation of over 100,000 people, and the incident was a level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. In response to the fear the disaster created, 20,000 people in Switzerland protested Beznau and demanded its decommissioning. The protests were not successful.
In 2014, as part of a Europe-wide protest against nuclear power plants, over 100 Greenpeace protestors illegally entered the Beznau power plant’s grounds. A few ambitious protestors scaled the side of one of its buildings and hung a massive sign that read “The End” on it. This was all in an effort to force the closing of the power plant on the basis that it was too old to be considered safe. In 2018, a complaint was launched against Beznau remaining in activity by the Social Democratic Party, and the power plant remains controversial.
Nuclear power may never go away, as evidenced by officials in the U.S. wanting to bring next-gen reactors into usage. As long as they exist, there will likely be local concern and protests over the safety of these reactors, especially as they age. Beznau is a lesson that the older a reactor gets, the more people of the area will become worried.
