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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Germany's nuclear operators have begun to shut down their oldest nuclear plants, in accordance with a recent demand from the government. Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (ETR:EBK) (EnBW) has announced that it will temporarily shut down its GKN 1 nuclear power plant, but admitted that it is unlikely that the plant will ever be restarted. EnBW claimed that the proposed nuclear tax and additional safety costs mean that GKN-1 will not be economically viable in the long run.
E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) is suspending the operation of its oldest nuclear power station, Isar-1, for the coming months. RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY), in line with orders from the local Hessian Ministry for Environment, Energy, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, took its Biblis A power plant off grid last week for three months.
Last week, in the wake of the nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukashima nuclear plant, Germany's government ordered the shutdown of eight older nuclear plants for at least three months. For related news, see March 18, 2011, article - Germany to Shut Down Oldest Nuclear Power Stations.
The seven facilities being shut down for the period are Biblis-A, Biblis-B, Isar 1, Unterweser, Brunsbuettel, Neckarwestheim 1, and Phillipsburg 1. Kruemmel, which is owned by Swedish energy giant Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden), is already closed; in January this year, a proposed reopening was put off until the summer. That again may have to be extended. The plants have a combined generating capacity of more than 8.3 gigawatts (GW), which equates to about 6% of Germany's generation capacity.
"The culture of safety practised at EnBW originates from and becomes apparent in a sense of responsibility extending beyond the safe operation of power stations to also include social issues in general," said Hans-Peter Villis, CEO of EnBW. "We are consequently offering open political talks with regard to the future of what are commonly known as 'old facilities.' And here, 'open outcome' really means 'open.' We are offering to discuss all aspects relating to the future of these safe facilities."
E.ON's CEO, Johannes Teyssen, said: "We understand the German public's concern and the political debate on the developments in Japan. At present, there are no doubts at all about the comprehensive safety of our nuclear plants, including Isar-1. But we will participate actively in the necessary analysis and discussion of the lessons taught by, and conclusions to be drawn from, the events in Japan."
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E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) is suspending the operation of its oldest nuclear power station, Isar-1, for the coming months. RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY), in line with orders from the local Hessian Ministry for Environment, Energy, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, took its Biblis A power plant off grid last week for three months.
Last week, in the wake of the nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukashima nuclear plant, Germany's government ordered the shutdown of eight older nuclear plants for at least three months. For related news, see March 18, 2011, article - Germany to Shut Down Oldest Nuclear Power Stations.
The seven facilities being shut down for the period are Biblis-A, Biblis-B, Isar 1, Unterweser, Brunsbuettel, Neckarwestheim 1, and Phillipsburg 1. Kruemmel, which is owned by Swedish energy giant Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden), is already closed; in January this year, a proposed reopening was put off until the summer. That again may have to be extended. The plants have a combined generating capacity of more than 8.3 gigawatts (GW), which equates to about 6% of Germany's generation capacity.
"The culture of safety practised at EnBW originates from and becomes apparent in a sense of responsibility extending beyond the safe operation of power stations to also include social issues in general," said Hans-Peter Villis, CEO of EnBW. "We are consequently offering open political talks with regard to the future of what are commonly known as 'old facilities.' And here, 'open outcome' really means 'open.' We are offering to discuss all aspects relating to the future of these safe facilities."
E.ON's CEO, Johannes Teyssen, said: "We understand the German public's concern and the political debate on the developments in Japan. At present, there are no doubts at all about the comprehensive safety of our nuclear plants, including Isar-1. But we will participate actively in the necessary analysis and discussion of the lessons taught by, and conclusions to be drawn from, the events in Japan."
View Plant Profile - 1072259 1077978 1077658 1078008 1078033 1077975 1077680
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
