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The Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant (German: Kernkraftwerk Grafenrheinfeld, KKG) is a now-offline electricity-generating facility near Grafenrheinfeld, south of Schweinfurt at the river Main. The plant operated from 1981 to June 28, 2015, when it was taken offline as part of the phase out policy for nuclear power in Germany. As a result of the plant's closure, Germany has relied heavily on coal and natural gas, primarily from Russia, to generate electricity.[1]
| Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Official name | Kernkraftwerk Grafenrheinfeld |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Grafenrheinfeld |
| Coordinates | 49°59′2.71″N 10°11′4.81″E / 49.9840861°N 10.1846694°E |
| Status | Demolished |
| Construction began | January 1, 1975 |
| Commission date | December 21, 1981 |
| Decommission date |
|
| Owner | PreussenElektra |
| Operator | PreussenElektra |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Siemens |
| Cooling towers | 2 |
| Cooling source | River Main |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 x 1,345 MW |
| Make and model | Siemens |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,345 MW |
| Capacity factor | 80.0% |
| Annual net output | 9,425 GW·h |
| External links | |
| Website | Plant's site on E.ON's site |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Construction and history
editConstruction took place between 1974 and 1981, which cost around 2.5 billion DM. The reactor, a German third-generation pressurized water reactor with an electrical net power output of 1,345 megawatts, achieved first criticality on December 9, 1981.
The plant is managed by PreussenElektra GmbH. The two 143-metre (469 ft) tall cooling towers were visible from far away. As with almost all other nuclear plants, temporary storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel are present on site. There is an information center at the power station.
Under the phase out policy for nuclear power in Germany, the plant was scheduled to shut down on 31 December 2015. Citing economical reasons, E.ON declared intent to shut down the plant earlier, originally at end of May 2015.[2][3]
Since its closure the plant was inoperative, and on 16th August 2024 the cooling towers were demolished using explosives. The demolition was delayed momentarily by a pro-nuclear protestor who had climbed ten meters up a power pole within the blast radius.[4]
Plant taken offline
editThe Grafenrheinfeld plant was taken offline on June 28, six months before scheduled to close on December 3, 2015 as part of Germany's ongoing policy to shut all nuclear power plants down in the country by 2022.[5][6] The plant owners decided it was uneconomic to continue operation as planned.[7]
In the media
editIn the anti-nuclear teen novel Die Wolke (1987), the power plant undergoes a meltdown.
References
edit- ^ Connolly, Kate (2022-07-08). "Germany to reactivate coal power plants as Russia curbs gas flow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ "Die gesuchte Seite ist leider nicht verfügbar (Fehlernummer 500)". Tagesschau.de. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ "E.ON preparing for Grafenrheinfeld nuclear plant's May closure | Energy & Oil | Reuters". Af.reuters.com. 2015-03-06. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ mdr.de. "Kühltürme des AKW Grafenrheinfeld verspätet gesprengt | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Germany's oldest remaining nuclear plant shuts down - Lowell Sun Online". Lowellsun.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ "Germany's oldest remaining nuclear plant shuts down | Technology News". US News. 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ "Grafenrheinfeld ends electricity production - World Nuclear News".
