Beznau nuclear plant back online after heatwaves

The Beznau nuclear power plant in northern Switzerland is back online after repeated heat-related shutdowns, Swiss energy company Axpo said Friday.

Axpo said the plant's second reactor went back online Thursday and was gradually returning to power operation. The company said it was expected to reach full capacity within about two days.

Reactor 1 has been back in operation since August 21. Reactor 2 was taken offline on August 4 for refuelling, during which 20 of the 121 fuel assemblies in the reactor core were replaced.

The Beznau plant had been shut down in June and again in July because unusually high temperatures in the Aare River affected cooling. The river drains nearly half of Switzerland and flows into the Rhine.

Several European nuclear power plants reduced output or temporarily shut during summer heatwaves. Nuclear energy accounts for just over a third of Switzerland's electricity production. Switzerland has four ageing nuclear reactors, including the two at Beznau, which produce about a tenth of the country's electricity demand.