The Swiss group Centrales Nucléaires en Participation SA consortium (CNP) will stop purchasing electricity from the Fessenheim nuclear power plant (Grand Est region, France), which is due to close permanently in 2019. CNP is a consortium between Alpiq, Axpo and BKW, which own a third of the shares capital each and draw electricity from CNP in proportion to their shareholding. The company was one of the plant's main customers and contracted with EDF in 1971 which allowed it to obtain 15% of the production of the two reactors of the plant. The agreement is now due for closing on 31 December 2017. EDF and CNP are also bound by a similar contract regarding the Cattenom plant production (Moselle, France) but it is not affected by this decision.
The EDF-CNP agreement entailed approximately 1,700 GWh of power per year, although the Fessenheim plant has been remaining idle for a maintenance operation since July 2017. EDF indicated that the restart of the plant's second reactor would not intervene until early 2018.
This announcement also comes as Switzerland has decided to exit the nuclear sector in the medium term. In Spring 2017, voters approved the new energy law banning the construction of new power plants by referendum (58.2% approval).
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