Debate about nuclear power plant terms: Here are the German nuclear power plants

From 2022, nuclear energy should no longer contribute to the electricity mix.

Debate about nuclear power plant terms: Here are the German nuclear power plants

From 2022, nuclear energy should no longer contribute to the electricity mix. But the impending gas shortage plunges Germany into a debate about extending the life of nuclear power plants. Six nuclear power plants are currently under discussion. Where are the remaining German piles located?

Low gas storage levels, limited deliveries via Nord Stream 1 and sharply increased gas prices: Because gas is threatening to become scarce in winter, discussions have been going on for weeks about letting German nuclear power plants run longer. These are the three remaining German nuclear power plants: Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg. In addition, the TÜV association considers a speedy recommissioning of the three nuclear power plants Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C, which were shut down last year, to be feasible and safe from a safety point of view.

According to current law, the three remaining nuclear power plants would have to be shut down by the end of the year. According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, together they generated around 6.4 percent of the electricity in Germany this year (as of July 26, 10:04 a.m.). In the same period, natural gas contributed 10.1 percent to the electricity mix, while renewable energies accounted for the largest share at 51.6 percent. The electricity generated by nuclear power this year could supply almost 4.5 million four-person households for a year at average consumption.

The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C nuclear power plants went offline at the end of 2021 as part of the gradual nuclear phase-out. Regarding the restarting of the three nuclear power plants that have already been shut down, TÜV representative Joachim Bühler said that of course the effort for continued operation here is greater than with the nuclear power plants that are still active.

For the remaining nuclear power plants, there is currently discussion about stretching operation, but that is not easy: the Federal Ministries for the Environment and Economics came to the conclusion in an examination in March that the three reactors with the existing fuel rods could only continue to run after December 31st , if their power generation was throttled beforehand. The ministries had advised against continued operation. According to the Society for Plant and Reactor Safety (GRS), stretching would be feasible for at least 80 days.

"Some tests and safety checks" would have to be carried out on the decommissioned nuclear power plants, and the condition of the fuel elements would also have to be checked separately, said the managing director of the TÜV association. However, "no dismantling" has yet taken place in the nuclear power plants that have been taken off the grid. "Nor were they dismantled in parts."