In the 1960s the
Austrian government started a nuclear energy program and
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
unanimously ordered a nuclear power plant built. In 1972, the German company KWU began construction of the
Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant
The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was the first commercial nuclear plant for electric power generation built in Austria, of 3 nuclear plants originally envisioned. Construction of the plant at Zwentendorf, Austria was finished but the plant ne ...
boiling water 700
MWe reactor. In 1976, two years prior to the nuclear power plant opening, the government began a program to educate its citizens on the benefits and safety of nuclear power. However, this campaign began a public discussion that led to large demonstrations against the Zwentendorf plant in 1977.
On 15 December 1978, the
Austrian Parliament
The Austrian Parliament (german: Österreichisches Parlament) is the bicameral federal legislature of the Austrian Republic. It consists of two chambers – the National Council and the Federal Council. In specific cases, both houses convene ...
voted in favor of a ban (BGBI. No. 676) on using nuclear fission for Austria’s energy supply until March 1998. This law also prohibits the storage and transport of nuclear materials in or through Austria. Nuclear energy continued to be debated in Austria, with some politicians seeking to reverse the nuclear energy ban. However, after the 1986
Chernobyl accident, attempts to reverse the ban subsided. On 9 July 1997, the Austrian Parliament unanimously passed legislation to remain an
anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, nationa ...
country.
In 2012, Austria called on Europe to abandon nuclear power.
Austria has particularly sought to pressure the Czech Republic to dismantle the Temelin nuclear power plant near the Austrian border.
The Czech Republic has defended the nuclear power plant as safe and better than alternatives such as dependence on coal, gas and oil.
In 2022, Austria filed a legal challenge to prevent the European Union from including nuclear energy as a category of green investment.
Leonore Gewessler, Austria's Federal Minister for Climate Protection, said it was "greenwashing". Defenders of the categorization see nuclear energy, which produces low carbon emissions relative to many energy sources, as key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
See also
*
Anti-nuclear movement in Austria
References
{{Nuclear power by country