Germany's Nuclear Phaseout Continues: Gundremmingen B Reactor Shuts Down
Germany's nuclear phaseout continues with the closure of Gundremmingen B, one of the country's eight nuclear reactors, at the end of 2017. Environmental groups have called for its immediate shutdown due to safety concerns, while France maintains a larger nuclear fleet with 58 reactors.
Gundremmingen B, which began operation in 1984, was set to close as part of Germany's nuclear phaseout plan. However, a study by Manfred Mertins raised alarm, finding that the reactor's emergency cooling system was non-functional and lacked earthquake protection, rendering its permit invalid. Environmental groups demanded its immediate closure.
The reactor made history twice: first, it contributed to the greatest ramp of any nuclear fleet during a massive wind storm in October 2017, reducing its output by nearly half. Second, it set a new world record ramp before its closure. Despite these records, its closure will leave no German nuclear plant with more than one operational reactor.
Gundremmingen B's construction began a year after the failure of reactor A, which flooded in 1977 during an emergency cooling attempt. The government provided unprecedented subsidies for Gundremmingen B's construction, with RWE paying less than a third of the planned costs and covering only 10% of cost overruns.
Following Gundremmingen B's closure, France will have more nuclear reactors than Germany, with 58 to Germany's 7. The closure also marks a significant step in Germany's nuclear phaseout, leaving no plant with more than one operational reactor. The safety concerns raised by the Mertins study highlight the importance of rigorous safety measures in nuclear power plants.
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