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Released June 15, 2017 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Sweden's Vattenfall AB (Stockholm) has awarded a contract for the dismantling and packaging of the reactor pressure vessel internals of the Brunsbuttel nuclear power plant in Germany.
The contract has been awarded to a consortium formed by French engineering company AREVA (EPA:AREVA) (Paris, France) and Energiewerke Nord GmbH (EWN), a company specializing in the dismantling of phased-out nuclear power plants (NPPs), owned by the German Federal Ministry of Finance. Brunsbuttel is one of eight older reactors ordered to close in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan prompted the German government to exit the nuclear power sector. For related news, see March 18, 2011, article - Germany to Shut Down Oldest Nuclear Power Stations.
Brunsbüttel is a 771-megawatt (MW) boiling water reactor that was commissioned in 1977. Vattenfall, which owns 66.7% of the Brunsbuttel plant, also owns a 50% share of the Krummel nuclear plant, a 1,346-MW boiling water reactor commissioned in 1983. Krummel was closed at the time when Germany's nuclear stance changed and has remained shut since, awaiting decommissioning.
The segmentation and packaging of core waste and reactor pressure vessel internals at Brunsbuttel will be carried out underwater. AREVA-EWN said that "proven technology and a qualified underwater robot will be used to enhance efficiency and reduce the time required for the operation."
Guillaume Dureau, senior executive vice president for Customers, Strategy, Innovation and R&D at AREVA, commented: "As Germany phases out nuclear power, this contract signed with Vattenfall demonstrates recognition of our expertise in decommissioning. Since 1978, we have been involved in some 160 D&D [decommissioning and distmantlement]-type projects on 64 nuclear power plants worldwide and especially have a successful footprint in Germany with the Stade and Würgassen D&D projects. We look forward to working with EWN, a German company specialized in dismantling and waste disposal, to provide safe, competitive and innovative solutions to our customer."
This week, a landmark ruling by the highest court in Germany found that the government's nuclear tax on plant operators was illegal. Vattenfall, along with fellow operators Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) (FWB:EBK) (Karlsruhe, Germany), RWE AG (FWB:RWE) (Essen, Germany) and E.ON SE (FWB:EOAN) (Düsseldorf) will soon get up to 6.3 billion euros ($7 billion) in repaid taxes and up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in interest payments. For additional information, see June 13, 2017, article - Germany to Repay Nuclear Tax Billions to Energy Companies.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
The contract has been awarded to a consortium formed by French engineering company AREVA (EPA:AREVA) (Paris, France) and Energiewerke Nord GmbH (EWN), a company specializing in the dismantling of phased-out nuclear power plants (NPPs), owned by the German Federal Ministry of Finance. Brunsbuttel is one of eight older reactors ordered to close in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan prompted the German government to exit the nuclear power sector. For related news, see March 18, 2011, article - Germany to Shut Down Oldest Nuclear Power Stations.
Brunsbüttel is a 771-megawatt (MW) boiling water reactor that was commissioned in 1977. Vattenfall, which owns 66.7% of the Brunsbuttel plant, also owns a 50% share of the Krummel nuclear plant, a 1,346-MW boiling water reactor commissioned in 1983. Krummel was closed at the time when Germany's nuclear stance changed and has remained shut since, awaiting decommissioning.
The segmentation and packaging of core waste and reactor pressure vessel internals at Brunsbuttel will be carried out underwater. AREVA-EWN said that "proven technology and a qualified underwater robot will be used to enhance efficiency and reduce the time required for the operation."
Guillaume Dureau, senior executive vice president for Customers, Strategy, Innovation and R&D at AREVA, commented: "As Germany phases out nuclear power, this contract signed with Vattenfall demonstrates recognition of our expertise in decommissioning. Since 1978, we have been involved in some 160 D&D [decommissioning and distmantlement]-type projects on 64 nuclear power plants worldwide and especially have a successful footprint in Germany with the Stade and Würgassen D&D projects. We look forward to working with EWN, a German company specialized in dismantling and waste disposal, to provide safe, competitive and innovative solutions to our customer."
This week, a landmark ruling by the highest court in Germany found that the government's nuclear tax on plant operators was illegal. Vattenfall, along with fellow operators Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) (FWB:EBK) (Karlsruhe, Germany), RWE AG (FWB:RWE) (Essen, Germany) and E.ON SE (FWB:EOAN) (Düsseldorf) will soon get up to 6.3 billion euros ($7 billion) in repaid taxes and up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in interest payments. For additional information, see June 13, 2017, article - Germany to Repay Nuclear Tax Billions to Energy Companies.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
