(nst) In view of the problems surrounding CO2 emissions and ageing atomic reactors in power plants, nuclear energy is once again in the headlines. Representatives of the Swiss energy industry recently claimed that the "option of nuclear energy" should be kept open after the reactors at Mühleberg and Beznau are decommissioned, in about 2020. The presidents of two political parties, SVP and FDP, support this call.

Not a bad time, therefore, to think about the reception nuclear energy received in Switzerland–decades before the concomitant problems became evident–namely with the positivistic approach of acquiring control of the new technology in Switzerland. An exhibition in the ETH library that opened last week shows how, in the 1950s, the conviction grew that in the development of nuclear technology Switzerland needed to stand on its own two feet.

A nuclear reactor, "made in Switzerland“, was a national effort and to date the biggest industrial project ever launched in the country. It ended abruptly in 1969 with an explosion, a few hours after a trial reactor was turned on in Lucens.

Very influential: ETH physics professor Paul Scherrer (1890–1969).

Nearly a nuclear plant underneath ETH

ETH Zurich was heavily involved in this development. In fact, the project to build a nuclear reactor underneath ETH–in the centre of Zurich–for heating purposes, was for a time seriously pursued.

The nuclear reactor "Saphir" in Würenlingen, where the first chain reaction in Switzerland was initiated in 1957. Saphir was in operation and used as a neutron source for activation and radiation experiments until 1993. large

And the federal government had already elected an ETH physics professor, Paul Scherrer (1890–1969 (1)) in 1946, as President of the Swiss Commission for Nuclear Energy charged to study the feasibility of the project. Scherrer represented the scientific body, without whose approval nothing happened in this area.

Multi-layered consensus and confrontation

Just how was such a complex project realised in tiny Switzerland? Who were the actors involved, the alliances, and where did the conflicts of interest lie that impeded the process? The exhibition turns the spotlight on key positions, held during different phases of development by institutions, individuals and companies. It presents written correspondence, minutes of meetings, photos and plans; all documents that reflect the angles of interest of the parties involved.

"The dream of a Swiss Reactor: Development of Atomic Technology 1955–1969“, 26.10.04– 02.04.05, Exhibition in foyer on floor H, Rämistrasse 101.