Wedoany.com Report-Jun 22, PreussenElektra has completed the removal of all four steam generators from the reactor building at the decommissioned Unterweser nuclear power plant in Germany. The operation, which began in mid-May, was finished within four weeks as scheduled. Each steam generator measured approximately 20 meters in height and weighed about 300 tonnes.

The dismantling followed nearly two years of preparation, including planning, testing, and implementing necessary modifications inside and outside the reactor building. This groundwork allowed for the efficient execution of the complex removal process. Each steam generator had to be carefully rotated, tilted, and lifted in multiple stages before being lowered into a designated storage area on-site.

The removal of the first steam generator took around 18 hours, but subsequent lifts were faster due to improved coordination and experience, with the final one taking approximately 11 hours. Project Manager Attila Damon stated: “This was absolute precision work and a masterpiece of engineering. The intensive preparation paid off. Our experienced partners Framatome and Mammoet handled this task well.”

In July, the removed components will be transported to Cyclife in Sweden. There, they will be dismantled and processed in a smelting facility. Cyclife, a subsidiary of EDF, specializes in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the treatment of radioactive waste.

Unterweser, a pressurized water reactor with a gross installed capacity of 1410 MWe, was in operation from 1978 until 2011. It was one of seven nuclear power stations in Germany that ceased commercial operations in March 2011 under the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Atomic Energy Act.

PreussenElektra is currently overseeing the decommissioning of several other nuclear facilities, including the Brokdorf, Grafenrheinfeld, Grohnde, Isar 2, and Stade plants. In 2021, the company awarded Cyclife a contract to handle the dismantling and disposal of 16 steam generators from four of these plants: Unterweser, Grafenrheinfeld, Grohnde, and Brokdorf.

Preparations for the removal of steam generators at Grafenrheinfeld are already in progress, according to PreussenElektra. The continued collaboration with Cyclife and other technical partners is expected to support the safe and timely execution of these future dismantling tasks.