Resun

Resun AG was a privately held Swiss company based in Aarau whose name derived from the French phrase “REmplacement SUisse Nucléaire,” meaning Swiss nuclear replacement. Its role was not to operate a consumer-facing product brand or an existing power station, but to coordinate the development and construction of two proposed nuclear reactors intended to replace aging generating capacity in Switzerland. The proposed facilities were informally associated with the locations of the existing Beznau and Mühleberg nuclear power plants and were consequently referred to as Beznau 3 and Mühleberg 2. The planning concept emerged from an anticipated electricity-supply gap. The Beznau plant, commissioned in 1969 with an output of about 730 MW, and the Mühleberg plant, commissioned in 1972 with an output of about 355 MW, were expected to cease operation after 2020. At the same time, certain Swiss import contracts for electricity from France, totaling approximately 2,000 MW, were expected to expire. Resun’s proposed replacement reactors were presented as a way to address this combined loss of domestic and imported supply while accommodating projected growth in domestic electricity demand. Resun’s ownership reflected the existing Swiss nuclear-utility structure. BKW FMB Energie AG, the owner of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant, held 31.25 percent. Axpo’s subsidiary Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG, associated with the Beznau plant, held 57.75 percent, while Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG held the remaining 11 percent. This shareholder arrangement gave the company direct links to the operators and owners of the two sites that its proposed projects were intended to replace. The projects remained at the planning and development stage. The supplied reference material does not identify a completed reactor, a construction start, a final investment decision, or an operating asset under the Resun name. In August 2017, Resun AG was liquidated. Its liquidation ended the company as a corporate vehicle for the proposed replacement-reactor program. Resun is therefore best understood as a defunct Swiss nuclear-development company rather than as an active electricity producer, utility, or broadly marketed consumer brand.

Resun AG was established as a Swiss corporate vehicle for the development of new nuclear generating capacity. The company’s acronym came from the French expression “REmplacement SUisse Nucléaire,” or Swiss nuclear replacement. It was located in Aarau and operated in the context of Switzerland’s established nuclear-power industry, rather than as an independent electricity retailer or a manufacturer of nuclear equipment. Its central purpose was to manage the planning and construction of two proposed replacement reactors. The projects were informally identified as Beznau 3 and Mühleberg 2, using the names of the locations where the new facilities were expected to be built. These locations already hosted important Swiss nuclear assets. Beznau had been operating since 1969 and had an electrical output of approximately 730 MW, while Mühleberg had entered service in 1972 with an output of approximately 355 MW. The rationale for the projects was tied to a forecast supply shortfall. After 2020, the existing Beznau and Mühleberg plants were expected to stop operating. Switzerland also faced the anticipated expiry of electricity-import contracts with France totaling around 2,000 MW. In combination, the retirement of domestic nuclear capacity and the end of those import arrangements were expected to create a significant gap in available electricity. Resun’s proposed reactors were intended to provide approximately 3,200 MW of combined electrical capacity, thereby offsetting the expected shortfall and supporting anticipated growth in Swiss electricity demand. Ownership of Resun reflected the interests of companies connected with the two existing nuclear sites. BKW FMB Energie AG, the owner of Mühleberg, held 31.25 percent of the company. Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG, an Axpo subsidiary associated with the Beznau plant, held 57.75 percent. Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG owned the remaining 11 percent. The ownership structure therefore brought together the principal utility interests connected with the proposed replacement locations. The available reference material describes Resun as a company responsible for managing the proposed reactor program, but does not document the completion of a reactor, the start of construction, commercial operation, or the launch of an operating generation business under its name. The plans must consequently be treated as a development initiative rather than as an operating nuclear-power portfolio. In August 2017, Resun AG was liquidated. This brought the company’s corporate existence to an end and closed the dedicated vehicle associated with the proposed replacement-reactor plans. Resun’s historical significance lies in its attempt to organize replacement nuclear capacity during a period when Switzerland was confronting aging plants, changing cross-border electricity arrangements, and rising expectations for domestic demand. It is now a defunct infrastructure-development company rather than an active energy brand.

• 2017

  Resun AG is liquidated

  [1]Resunen.wikipedia.org

  Resun AG is liquidated in August, ending the company that had been established to manage the replacement-reactor initiative.

• Resun is formed as a nuclear-replacement development company

  [1]Resunen.wikipedia.org

  Resun AG is organized in Switzerland to manage plans for two proposed replacement nuclear reactors associated with the Beznau and Mühleberg sites.

• Beznau 3 and Mühleberg 2 are proposed

  [1]Resunen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s development program centers on two proposed reactors informally known as Beznau 3 and Mühleberg 2, with a combined planned output of about 3,200 MW.

A Swiss nuclear infrastructure-development vehicle focused on planning replacement generation capacity for aging domestic nuclear plants.

• Proposed nuclear reactor

  Beznau 3

  Beznau 3 was the informal name for one of the replacement reactors that Resun was intended to develop. The project was associated with the Beznau nuclear-power site, whose existing plant had been operating since 1969. The available material identifies the reactor as a planned facility rather than a completed or operating product.

• Proposed nuclear reactor

  Mühleberg 2

  Mühleberg 2 was the informal name for a second proposed replacement reactor associated with the Mühleberg nuclear-power site. The existing Mühleberg plant had been operating since 1972. Resun’s role was to manage the development concept, but the available reference does not establish that construction or commercial operation took place.

1. 1Resunen.wikipedia.org