Reactor generates about one-seventh of all Swiss electricity
French nuclear fuel cycle company Framatome has signed a contract with Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt AG (KKL) in Switzerland to supply Atrium 11 fuel assemblies to its Leibstadt nuclear power station from 2028-2035.
Framatome said Atrium 11 is its most advanced fuel product for boiling water reactors (BWRs) and the leading commercialised technology. The 11×11 fuel rod design offers “enhanced safety and significant fuel cycle savings”, the company said. It said the unique geometry of Atrium 11 allows for increased energy extraction from the fuel while reducing the power demand on individual fuel rods.
Framatome has been supplying fuel to KKL, the owner and operator of Leibstadt, since 2008 and supplying Atrium 11 since 2012.
According to Framatome, with an output of 1,285 MW, Leibstadt is the most powerful nuclear power plant in Switzerland, generating around one seventh of all Swiss electricity generation and providing electricity for two million households every day.
In 2024, the Leibstadt plant generated 9,636 GWh of electricity, one of its highest outputs since its commissioning in 1984.
Last month Framatome was chosen by Swiss operator Kernkraftwerk Gösgen-Däniken (KKG) to be the long-term supplier of nuclear fuel assemblies and related services for its Gösgen nuclear power plant.
Switzerland has four nuclear reactors in commercial operation at three sites: Beznau-1, Beznau-2, Gösgen and Leibstadt. Nuclear power provides about a third of Swiss power generation.
In March, Framatome signed a contract to modernise the instrumentation and control systems at Leibstadt.
