Operator of nuclear power plant Isar 2: E.ON warns against reserve operation

The operator of the Isar 2 nuclear power plant has urgently warned the Federal Ministry of Economics against keeping it as a reserve. One has “no experience whatsoever,” says a letter from which the “Spiegel” quotes.

The energy company E.ON and its subsidiary Preussen Elektra are on a confrontational course with the federal government over the question of the continued operation of its Isar 2 nuclear power plant. “We communicated on Monday evening that nuclear power plants are not suitable for reserve power plant operation for technical reasons. You can assume that we are also in contact with the federal government on this,” said an E.ON spokesman when asked by the Reuters news agency.

The “Spiegel” reported about it first. After that, the head of Preussen Elektra, Guido Knott, wrote an “incendiary letter” to the State Secretary in the Ministry of Economics, Patrick Graichen. According to the newspaper itself, the letter is available. It states that “sending two of the three running systems to the cold reserve at the turn of the year in order to start them up if necessary is technically not feasible and therefore unsuitable for securing the supply contribution of the systems”.

Warning already at the end of August?

The letter states that the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology was informed on August 25 that “flexible increases or reductions in output are no longer possible” in reserve mode. This applies all the more when the reactor is completely shut down and the fuel rods are already at the end of their capacity. “Then, with the limited possibilities of such a reactor core, a restart in advanced stretching operation is not feasible, and certainly not at short notice within a week,” the letter continues.

According to “Spiegel”, Knott points out that such a procedure is “not practiced”. His company has “no experience”. He therefore warns that this option of restarting should be considered for this winter of all times. “Testing a start-up procedure that has never been practiced before should not coincide with a critical state of the power supply.” Apparently, Knott sees a risk above all in the tense situation in the European power grids.

Operator requests “short-term clarity”

According to Knott, the Isar 2 nuclear power plant can provide “an electricity production of four terawatt hours and a secured output of up to 1400 megawatts for the electricity market” with the remaining fuel elements. The reserve operation must be prepared very intensively; this must be completed by the end of October. Therefore, Preussen Elektra asked for “short-term clarity” as to whether the nuclear power plant should remain connected to the grid beyond the turn of the year. In addition, Knott offered the ministry “another technical discussion in which we would be happy to personally explain the possibilities and limits of winter operation”.

After the stress test on security of supply, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced that he would use the E.ON Isar 2 reactor and the EnBW Neckarwestheim 2 nuclear power plant as reserve power plants until mid-April. Knott and E.ON expressly contradict these plans – apparently not only now, but even before the stress test results became known.