Source: energate

The three power plant operators leave no doubt about this, even though the stretch operation enabled them to make additional profits in some cases. The three reactors Emsland (1,300 MW), Isar 2 (1,400 MW) and Neckarwestheim 2 (1,300 MW) will be successively taken off the grid. Shortly before the planned shutdown, political discussions had again arisen about a possible continued operation because such continued operation would be technically complex. The four-month stretch operation had already presented the power plant operators with challenges. For the Isar 2 nuclear power plant, about 200 additional skilled workers from manufacturers and special companies were deployed to ensure continued operation at short notice.

Only EnBW already has dismantling permission

So it all looks like a real phase-out of nuclear power in Germany. The shutdown will take place in stages, Preussen Elektra explained. The Eon subsidiary operates the Bavarian nuclear power plant Isar 2. Already at a reactor output of 30 per cent, no more electricity is fed into the grid and the generator is automatically disconnected from the grid. The power plant then stops nuclear fission in the reactor. In the following hours, the reactor is cooled down further. Power is then supplied to the plant from the outside via the electricity grid, as is the case with other industrial plants.

After decommissioning, maintenance and inspection work begins, and only then does the actual dismanting take place. This starts with the highly radioactive areas, for which the fuel elements are removed and the reactor pressure vessels dismantled. The less and non-contaminated areas will follow later. So far, only the nuclear power operator EnBW Kernkraft GmbH has been granted the necessary dismanting permit for the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant. Preussen Elektra expects this by the end of 2023 for Isar 2. RWE has also not yet received a corresponding permit for the dismantling of Neckarwestheim, but the corresponding application documents were submitted in 2016. The dismantling itself will also take several more years: RWE expects the work to last until the mid-2030s, Preussen Elektra expects it to be completed by 2040.

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