The Concept
It is planned to dismantle the Rheinsberg NPP completely (exemption from the Atomic Energy Act AtG). This means:
- the dismantling of all technical facilities
- demolition of all buildings
- removal or utilization of the material and waste resulting from it (disposal).
Why has the Rheinsberg NPP to be dismantled?
In the year 1986 the designed live time of the Rheinsberg NPP ended after 20 years. The reconstruction measures of the years 1986 / 1987 aimed to continue the operation for five years. The license for power operation, issued by the former authority SAAS (national authority for reactor safety and radiation protection), was limited until the end of the reactor campaign in 1992.
Because of safety standard deficits according to the Atomic Energy Act AtG of the Federal Republic of Germany, a continued operation was excluded; so the operator decided in November 1990 to stop the power operation of the unit and to decommission the plant.
How will the Rheinsberg NPP be decommissioned?
In the decommissioning concept it is defined to dismantle the power plant immediately and step by step while making use of the experiences gained by maintenance and reconstruction works, mostly executed by own personnel until the year 2012.
The immediate dismantling was preferred against a possible safe enclosure because
- the construction design (no containment construction) requires too high technical efforts and expenditures for a safe enclosure,
- the existing functional technical devices, for example lifting devices, would have to be rebuilt for later dismantling,
- the required experienced expert personnel is available.
Schedule for Decommissioning and Dismantling
Post Operation 1991 -2001
During the post operation that covers the time between power operation, this means the production of electrical energy, and the removal of nuclear fuel from the power plant, the conditions for dismantling were being established.
Site Operation 2001 - 2012
During the time of site operation after the transportation of the nuclear fuel, the facilities for infrastructure, necessary for the keeping up of the site until the completion of dismantling, are being operated.
Dismantling steps
It is intended to divide the dismantling into eight steps to get manageable workflows according to the preparation of the necessary documents, the licensing procedure as well as the practical realization.
In the frame of the respective licenses it will be proceeded according to the following rules and the following schedule:
Dismantling Outside the Controlled Area (step 1) since 1995
The technical and electrotechnical facilities of the secondary circuit which are not required anymore (main focus turbine hall), have been dismantled since 1995, while maintaining the buildings including the transport and supply facilities to use them for the further dismantling of the NPP.
Dismantling Inside the Controlled Area (steps 2 to 6) since 1996
The equipment has been dismantled step by step, starting with the lower contaminated parts continuing with higher contaminated / activated parts until the disassembling of the reactor pressure vessel.
Dismantling the Buildings (steps 7 and 8) until 2012
It starts with the dismantling of contaminated building parts.
The total mass of the NPP that has to be dismantled amounts to 330.000 tons; about 40.000 tons of this mass are radioactively contaminated.
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