German nuclear power's definitive end: Last unit granted dismantling permit

The German nuclear unit Brokdorf received a dismantling permit from the state ministry this week. The operator of the 1410 MW power plant applied for a permit to decommission and dismantle it back in December 2017. After electricity generation ended at the end of 2021, technicians began preparatory work, including decontaminating the primary circuit and moving the nuclear fuel to interim storage. Dismantling at the site will take around 10-15 years, and the owner plans to use the site for a massive battery storage facility.

PreussenElektra, a subsidiary of energy company E.ON, announced that it had received permission from the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection and the Environment to permanently shut down and dismantle the single-unit Brokdorf nuclear power plant. Brokdorf was the last power plant in Germany still awaiting this permit.

Since the plant was shut down, employees have been preparing for dismantling, including decontaminating the primary cooling circuit and systems and components no longer needed. Technicians also moved the fuel assemblies to interim storage and installed replacement systems to supply the plant with electricity.

"Many colleagues have worked over the past seven years to make it possible for us to hold the permit in our hands now. It is important that we start right away and put our prepared plan into practice. After all, we still have a lot of work to do here on site," said plant manager Tammo Kammrath.

The company will now begin dismantling work, including building new logistics routes and setting up a waste processing center for the dismantled material. To dismantle the reactor pressure vessel, PreussenElektra will have to obtain one more permit, which it applied for last August.

The Brokdorf nuclear power plant, with a 1410 MW (net) pressurized water reactor, began operating in December 1986. It was originally due to generate electricity until 2036, but following Germany's phase-out of nuclear power, PreussenElektra shut it down on 31 December 2021.

Further energy use of the power plant site

PreussenElektra hopes to complete the dismantling by the mid-2030s, which it describes as an ambitious target given that the expected dismantling time for nuclear units is around 15 years. The reason for the swift dismantling is the company's plans for the power plant site, where it wants to start building Europe's largest battery storage facility soon. The company plans to build a storage facility in two phases, with a power output of 800 MW and a capacity of 1600 MWh.

"We want to be finished by the mid-2030s so that we can complete the EU's largest battery storage facility. Despite our ambitions, the highest safety standards apply to dismantling at Brokdorf, just as they do to all other dismantling projects carried out by PreussenElektra. We now expect that, working closely with our trusted authorities, we will also be able to complete the dismantling safely and quickly," said PreussenElektra CEO Guido Knott.