Switzerland's Federal Court has ruled that the Mühleberg nuclear power plant can continue operating indefinitely, overturning a March 2012 ruling by the Federal Administrative Court that it would have to close in June 2013.
BKW, the operator of the plant, had received an unlimited-duration operating licence in 2009, which was overturned in March 2012 (planned closure on 28 June 2013) due to safety concerns (stability of the core shroud, plant's ability to withstand a large earthquake and lack of independent cooling facilities). BKW had to submit a comprehensive maintenance concept for the long-term operation of the Mühleberg plant to the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications and has now to submit a binding implementation plan for those upgrades by 30 June 2013. However, BKW has been delaying a decision on making safety-related upgrades at Mühleberg. The decision - originally expected in mid-2013 - will now be made at the end of 2013. The utility said that the timeframe for planning the upgrades would only become clear after the Federal Court has made a ruling on the continued operation of the Mühleberg plant.
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