Austria's Nuclear Power Past And Present

Austria has no operational nuclear power plants, despite the country's parliament ordering the construction of one in the 1960s. The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1978 but never used, following a public backlash and a vote by the Austrian population to prevent it from providing power. The country has been fiercely anti-nuclear ever since, with a 1999 law prohibiting the construction of nuclear power plants and the storage and transport of nuclear materials in or through Austria.

Austria's anti-nuclear stance

Austria has one nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf on the banks of the Danube River, but it has never been used. The country has been fiercely anti-nuclear since an unprecedented vote by its population in 1978 prevented the Zwentendorf plant from ever providing a watt of power. This was meant to be the first of several nuclear power plants, but the vote led to a ban on using nuclear fission for Austria's energy supply until March 1998. The law also prohibited the storage and transport of nuclear materials in or through Austria.

In 1999, the Austrian parliament passed the Constitutional Law on a Nuclear-free Austria, which stipulates that installations that serve for energy generation by nuclear power must not be constructed, nor, if they already exist, come online. Austria does not operate any nuclear power plants, but it does have the TRIGA Mark-II reactor, which has been operated by the Vienna University of Technology/Atominstitut (ATI) since 1962. This is a research reactor facility, which is a nuclear installation as defined in the Euratom Nuclear Safety Directive.

Austria has also been vocal in its opposition to the EU's plans to include nuclear energy in its green energy strategy. In 2020, the country appealed to the ECJ to find British government subsidies for the nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in breach of the bloc's state aid rules, but the appeal was thrown out.

The Zwentendorf nuclear power plant

Austria has one nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf, which was completed in 1978 but never used. The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was the first commercial nuclear plant for electric power generation built in Austria, and one of three nuclear plants originally envisioned. Construction of the plant at Zwentendorf was finished, but the plant never entered service. The start-up of the Zwentendorf plant, as well as the construction of the other two plants, was prevented by a referendum on 5 November 1978, in which a narrow majority of 50.47% voted against the start-up. Construction of the plant began in April 1972, as a boiling-water reactor rated at 692 megawatts electric power output. It was built by a joint venture of several Austrian electric power companies.

The nuclear power plant near the small village of Zwentendorf in Lower Austria is not just the only plant of its kind ever to have been built in Austria and never used, it is also a highly symbolic place, both for contemporary politics and energy policies as well as for Austrian democracy in general. The perennial debate over the building of the AKW Zwentendorf really is a perfect illustration of people power. The decision to build the power plant was made in 1971, and construction got underway on 4 April 1972. Between 1973 and 1978, technical equipment, cooling pumps, heating elements and reactor containments with a total weight of more than 1,110 tonnes were delivered and installed.

Zwentendorf is probably the best place in Europe in which to study a nuclear power station, although no electric power was ever generated there. It was built as the first of three projected nuclear power stations in Austria. It was completed, but was never put into operation after a referendum of 4 April 1978 rejected the use of nuclear power in Austria. Construction, which involved several Austrian companies, began in 1972 but after two weeks the foundations were severely damaged by an earthquake. The power station was intended to have an output of 692 megawatts, its chimney was 110 m high, and it cost one billion Euros.

The plant is used for operator training by Kraftwerksschule e.V. The current operator of the plant also allows visits to the complex. The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant has been leased out over the years as a film location for films including Grand Central, Tag der Wahrheit, Restrisiko, and Hacking at Leaves. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also uses it for annual workshops.

The TRIGA Mark-II reactor

Austria has no operational nuclear power plants, but it does have the TRIGA Mark-II reactor, which has been in operation since 1962. The reactor is owned by the Technical University of Vienna and operated by the Vienna University of Technology/Atominstitut (ATI). It is a research reactor facility and is therefore a nuclear installation as defined in the Euratom Nuclear Safety Directive.

The Austrian government's nuclear-energy program

In the 1960s, the Austrian government started a nuclear-energy program and parliament unanimously ordered a nuclear power plant to be built. In 1972, the German company KWU began construction of the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant, a boiling-water 700 MWe reactor. However, in 1977, two years prior to the nuclear power plant opening, large demonstrations against the Zwentendorf plant took place. On 15 December 1978, the Austrian Parliament voted in favour of a ban on using nuclear fission for Austria's energy supply until March 1998. This law also prohibited the storage and transport of nuclear materials in or through Austria.

In 1999, the Austrian parliament passed the Constitutional Law on a Nuclear-free Austria, which stipulates that installations that serve for energy generation by nuclear power must not be constructed, nor, if they already exist, come online. Austria has one research reactor facility, the TRIGA Mark II, owned by the Technical University of Vienna. This reactor has been in operation since 1962.

Austria is rich in renewable energy sources, with a high proportion of wind and solar power plants. Nuclear energy is not an option for the country, despite the fact that electricity imports still include nuclear energy. The country's fierce anti-nuclear stance began with an unprecedented vote by its population in 1978 that prevented the Zwentendorf plant from ever providing power.

The EU's 'green' nuclear energy plan

Austria has one nuclear power plant, Zwentendorf, which is located on the banks of the Danube River about an hour's drive from Vienna. However, the plant has never been used. In 1978, the Austrian Parliament voted in favour of a ban on using nuclear fission for the country's energy supply, and this law also prohibits the storage and transport of nuclear materials in or through Austria. The country has been fiercely anti-nuclear, with large demonstrations against the Zwentendorf plant in 1977. In 1999, the Austrian Parliament passed the Constitutional Law on a Nuclear-Free Austria, which stipulates that installations that serve for energy generation by nuclear power must not be constructed or come online. Despite this, Austria does have the TRIGA Mark-II reactor, which has been operated by the Vienna University of Technology/Atominstitut (ATI) since 1962. This is a research reactor facility and is considered a nuclear installation as defined in the Euratom Nuclear Safety Directive.

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