German Utility Applies For Decommissioning Permits For Two Nuclear Units

18 Jul (NucNet): German utility EnBW has applied for early permits for the decommissioning and dismantling of the Philippsburg-2 and Neckarwestheim-2 nuclear units in southwest Germany, according to a statement on the company’s website today. Both units are still in commercial operational, but the statement said all five nuclear power reactors owned by EnBW are now in “a formal decommissioning process”. EnBW said it filed the permit applications with the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy of the province of Baden-Württemberg, where both Philippsburg-2 and Neckarwestheim-2 are situated. EnBW said it would like to have the permits granted before the operating lifetime of the two units expires in order to begin the decommissioning and dismantling process “immediately” after shutdown. EnBW said experience has shown that the licensing process could take between three and four years. According to EnBW, Philippsburg-2 will be in commercial operation until the end of 2019 and Neckarwestheim-2 until the end of 2022. Both plants together provide about one-third of the electricity demand in Baden-Württemberg, EnBW said. Philippsburg-1 and Neckarwestheim-1 were shut down in August 2011 in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident in Japan. EnBW’s fifth reactor, Obrigheim, is Germany’s oldest reactor and was shut down in May 2005. EnBW said it expects the permits for the dismantling of Philippsburg-1 and Neckarwestheim-1 to be received in the second half of 2016. Details are online (German only): http://bit.ly/2a5nK10