Brokdorf (Image: PreussenElektra)
PreussenElektra - a subsidiary of EOn Group - applied for approval to decommission and dismantle the 1410 MWe pressurised water reactor in December 2017. The plant was shut down on 31 December 2021.
On 23 October this year, the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature issued the first decommissioning and dismantling permit to PreussenElektra for the Brokdorf plant. Phase 1 of the plant's decommissioning and dismantling includes the decommissioning and dismantling of the plant components that are no longer required and subject to nuclear regulatory supervision, with the exception of the reactor pressure vessel and the biological shield.
On 13 December, all the requirements for using the permit were met when the last documents requiring approval came into force. On the same day, PreussenElektra notified the authorities that it was using the permit, meaning the plant's post-operation phase had ended and it had entered the dismantling phase.
"We expect that we will now be able to quickly implement the first shutdown of a system in the power plant and thus be able to physically begin dismantling this year," said Brokdorf plant manager and dismantling programme manager Tammo Kammrath.
PreussenElektra said the first measure will be to shut down components of the nuclear intermediate cooling system. During power operation, the system served to supply heat exchangers of nuclear auxiliary and secondary systems and acted as a barrier against the release of radioactivity into the environment.
A second dismantling permit is required to dismantle the reactor pressure vessel and the biological shield. This requires the removal of all fuel elements and special fuel rods, which are expected to be transported to the interim storage facility at the site in 2025. PreussenElektra submitted the application for the second dismantling permit on 30 August this year. This is currently being examined by independent experts.
Once all dismantling work has been completed, the site will be released for reuse.
In December last year, PreussenElektra, together with EOn group companies, announced plans for the construction at the Brokdorf site of the largest battery storage facility in the EU to date. The facility - to store electricity from renewable sources - is to be expanded in two stages to up to 800 MW of power and a storage capacity of up to 1600 MWh. Commissioning could begin as early as 2026.
