Saxony’s Environment Minister, Christian Meyer, has handed over the second and final permit for the dismantling of Germany’s Grohnde NPP (KWG – Kernkraftwerk Grohnde) to PreussenElektra. This provides the total legal authorisation required to completely dismantle the facility.
Grohnde NPP, which was shut down in December 2021, and has been under dismantling since January 2024, was defueled in April. In October 2017 PreussenElektra, a subsidiary of EON Group, applied for approval to decommission and dismantle the 1,360 MWe pressurised water reactor. In December 2023, the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy & Climate Protection issued the first decommissioning and dismantling permit to PreussenElektra and dismantling work began in the following month.
Grohnde was closed in line with Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power, taken in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan. Eight nuclear units were permanently shut down in 2012. These included EnBW’s Phillipsburg unit 1 and Neckarwestheim unit1; E.ON’s Isar unit 1 and Unterweser; RWE’s Biblis A&B and Vattenfall’s Brunsbüttel and Krümmel (both already closed). The remaining nine reactors were to close by the end of 2022. E.ON’s Grafenrheinfeld closed in 2015; RWE’s Grundremmingen B in 2017; EnBW’s Phillippsburg unit 2 in 2019; Vattenfall’s Brokdorf, E.ON’s Grohnde and RWE’s Gundremmingen C in 2021; and E.ON’s Isar 2, EnBW’s Neckarwestheim 2 and RWE’s Emsland in April 2023. Two older reactors – E.ON’s Stade NPP and ENBW’s Obrigheim had already been shut down in 2003 and 2005.
“With the second approval, we now have all the legal requirements to carry out the dismantling of the KWG consistently and as planned,” noted Guido Knott, Chairman of the Management Board of PreussenElektra. “Our aim is to implement the dismantling safely, efficiently and quickly –with the clear goal of completing the nuclear dismantling by the mid-1930s and being able to use the site for future projects as soon as possible.”
To date components of the primary cooling circuit have been dismantled and the newly constructed residual material treatment centre has begun operations. At the centre, dismantled materials are disassembled, measured radiologically, cleaned and, after official approval, either disposed of or fed into the recycling cycle.
Starting in autumn, one of the most technically demanding sections of the dismantling will begin: the dismantling of the reactor pressure vessel internals and the surrounding biological shield. Planning for this is already underway. The first cut is currently scheduled for early 2027. The project is due to be completed in approximately two years by mid-2028.
Dismantling of the Grohnde NPP is scheduled to be completed by 2039. After that, the power plant site will be ready for subsequent use. Around 500 people are currently employed at the site.
