Swiss federal authorities

Events abroad

The Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) is interested in the events abroad. They learn how to act with the national Power Plants in case of a nuclear incident.

Directly after the accident in Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011, ENSI ordered immediate measures for a review of the safety of the Swiss nuclear power plants. In parallel, an interdisciplinary team of experts from ENSI (the “Japan Analysis Team”) reconstructed the events of the accident and subjected them to in-depth analysis.

News

  • News, Posts

    Situation in Ukraine

    Information on the current situation in Ukraine with links to the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, Western European Nuclear Regulators Association WENRA, Federal Office of Public Health FOPH and Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP.

  • News, Posts

    IAEA Fukushima Conference Identifies New International Recommendations for Action

    The international conference “A Decade of Progress after Fukushima Daiichi” was held in Vienna from 8 to 12 November 2021. Organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the event dealt with the lessons learned from the nuclear accident in an effort to further strengthen nuclear safety. Primarily, the discussions at the conference resulted in…

  • Background articles, News, Posts

    Ten Years on from Fukushima (4/6): The Consequences for Swiss Nuclear Power Plants and the Oversight Activities

    After the events in Fukushima Daiichi, ENSI ordered immediate actions and additional safety tests for the Swiss nuclear power plants. Moreover, from the accident analysis and the EU stress test, ENSI derived a need for action to improve nuclear safety in Switzerland: the “Fukushima Action Plan”.

  • Background articles, News, Posts

    New study on extreme flooding of the River Aare is also relevant for nuclear power plant sites

    Today, the Federal Office of the Environment, FOEN, published its study “Extreme Flooding of the River Aare”. Their findings also include a re-evaluation of the flood risk to nuclear installations located on the Aare. ENSI will now require those nuclear installations concerned to update their safety cases.

  • Background articles, Interviews, News, Posts

    Ten Years on from Fukushima (3/6): the EU Stress Test

    The tests at the time confirmed that, in international comparison, Swiss nuclear power plants have a high safety level. Despite these learnings, it is important to remain attentive at all times, to keep the proofs of safety up to date, to live a strong safety culture and to systematically analyse events.

  • Background articles, News, Posts

    All Swiss nuclear power plants comply with the updated earthquake safety standards

    For the second time since the Fukushima accident in 2011, power plant operators have demonstrated that their plants are capable of withstanding an extremely rare, severe earthquake. The safety case for a flood caused by an earthquake has also been checked. The findings from the safety proofs generated in the aftermath of Fukushima have been…

Background Articles

  • Background articles, Posts

    Ten Years on from Fukushima (1/6): The lead-up to the 2011 Disaster

    After Chernobyl, the Fukushima accident of 11 March 2011 is history’s most serious reactor accident. An expert team from ENSI carried out an in-depth analysis of the circumstances leading up to the disaster. As a result, ENSI was able to derive important conclusions both for its own regulatory role and for the safety of Swiss…

  • Background articles

    ENSI Report on Fukushima IV: Radiological Effects

    Nine months after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan is working to contain radiation exposure in the region of the accident. The challenges confronting the country in this endeavour are shown by the new ENSI report on the radiological effects of the accident on 11 March 2011. ENSI already deduced some “Lessons…

  • Background articles

    ENSI Report on Fukushima III: Lessons Learned

    The analysis of the accidents at Fukushima confirms that Swiss nuclear plants are safe. However, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) has identified a variety of findings (Lessons Learned) from Fukushima which should now be utilised to continue optimising the safety of Switzerland’s nuclear power plants. All the measures that need to be implemented…

Documents