One year after the nuclear phase-out in Germany, dismantling of the Isar 2 reactor in Lower Bavaria also began. It would have been possible to restart the plant until October 2023, said power plant manager Carsten Müller on Monday. For about six months after the shutdown, the operator Preussen-Elektra carried out certain maintenance measures in case politicians asked for the system to be restarted. “Unfortunately we weren’t asked,” said Müller.
In view of the energy crisis, operations had been extended by a few months anyway – until the final shutdown on April 15, 2023. It was hard for the nuclear power plant team to imagine that things wouldn’t continue again, said Müller. That’s why Preussen-Elektra initially kept the option open on its own initiative – i.e. carried out tests that no longer needed to be carried out or kept replacement materials available that could have been disposed of.
In the machine house of Block Isar 1, which has been dismantled since 2017, a dismantling center with a specially made large band saw has been built. The saw can saw parts weighing tons. The parts – such as iron, copper, aluminum – are then decontaminated, then measured for freedom from radiation and recycled. No material leaves the premises that is harmless or endangers health. “That’s what the Radiation Protection Act is for.” In this respect, dismantling is a very complex process that has to be precisely coordinated with the authorities, says Müller.
For Block 1, this means that out of 224,000 tons of material, around two percent of radioactive waste will remain. This includes low- and medium-level radioactive materials that go to the not yet completed Schacht Konrad repository in Salzgitter, and high-level radioactive waste for which there is still no final repository. Until then, the materials will remain at the Essenbach location.
There are still around 450 employees at the Isar 1 and 2 nuclear power plants. By 2040, the entire site will no longer be visible. In this respect, the deputy mayors of Essenbach and Niederaichbach, Claus Schorn (CSU) and Jakob Sand (Free Voters), are currently assuming that the consequences of the nuclear phase-out for the communities will only be felt in the long term. The question is: “What comes next?” said Schorn. However, it is important first of all that the dismantling takes place with the same quality and safety as the previous operation of the system.
There is potential for subsequent use in the area of energy production or storage, Sand added, pointing out that the Konrad shaft repository must be completed as quickly as possible. The Federal Agency for Final Storage (BGE) announced last year that the 2027 target could no longer be achieved.
While the Greens and environmental associations consider the German nuclear phase-out to be the right thing to do, the CSU and Free Voters in the Free State had until recently spoken out in favor of a further extension of the term. According to the Ministry of the Environment, Isar 2 recently covered around 18 percent of Bavaria’s electricity production. In addition to the Isar 2 reactor, the Emsland nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg were also taken offline on April 15, 2023. The dismantling is the responsibility of the operators. In addition to Isar 1 and 2, the Grafenrheinfeld and Gundremmingen power plants, blocks B and C, are also being dismantled in Bavaria.