German utility RWE Power has lodged an appeal with the Administrative Court of Appeal in Kassel against the three-month shutdown of its Biblis power station imposed by the German government.
Four days after the Japanese crisis (15 March), German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered the immediate shutdown of reactors built before 1980 for rigorous safety reviews. Seven reactors were shut down, including Biblis A, and they are to remain closed for three months, to allow for a "period of reflection and action.”
RWE said in a statement that since German nuclear power plants comply with all relevant safety requirements, there are no legal grounds for decommissioning them.
It added: “In taking the legal step of appealing against the decommissioning, RWE is seeking to protect the interests of its shareholders.”
Despite the appeal RWE says it supports the German government’s decision to conduct safety reviews of all its nuclear power plants.
“It is a necessary and logical step to examine the severe nuclear accident in Japan very carefully and use any relevant insights derived from such an analysis to enhance the already high safety standards of German nuclear power plants,” RWE said.
FilesFukushima-Daiichi parameters 5 April Reactor-by-reactor, system-by-system summary from JAIF on 5 April
