The Company

Since 1995, EWN Entsorgungswerk für Nuklearanlagen GmbH (EWN) is responsible for the dismantling of the former nuclear power plants at Greifswald/Lubmin in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Rheinsberg in Brandenburg.

In addition to dismantling activities, EWN’s main tasks include the disposal and temporary storage of the spent fuel elements and radioactive residues/waste. In addition, EWN organises final storage and the associated delivery management of radioactive waste for public waste disposal bodies.

These tasks are described in more detail on the individual project pages.

EWN is located at the following sites: 

  • Greifswald/Lubmin: Company head, dismantling of Greifswald/Lubmin Nuclear Power Plant, Operation of disposal facilities and the Interim Storage Facility North
  • Rheinsberg: Dismantling of Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant
  • Karlsruhe: KONRAD coordination office 
Wir setzen Maßstäbe.
Mit Sicherheit.

New Name – Same Tasks

EWN GmbH was renamed in February 2017. The former Energiewerke Nord GmbH’s area of business had long ceased to be in the field of energy. Our new name reflects our actual task, which is the dismantling of nuclear plants.

In accordance with its responsibility to realise the complete dismantling of the nuclear power plants in Greifwald/Lubmin and in Rheinsberg, Energiewerke Nord GmbH is now known as EWN Entsorgungswerk für Nuklearanlagen GmbH.

The dismantling of the KGR (Greifswald) and KKR (Rheinsberg) nuclear facilities will take until the second half of the 2030s. The disposal of the radioactive materials which have already accumulated and which will accumulate in future will stretch over several decades and to some extent until the end of the century.

The Federal Ministry of Finance has been EWN’s sole stockholder since 2000.

In recent years, EWN has developed into a federal competence centre for the dismantling and disposal of nuclear plant. Further companies which are engaged in the dismantling of nuclear plants and are publicly financed have been amalgamated with EWN GmbH to form the EWN Group.

Jülicher Entsorgungsgesellschaft für Nuklearanlagen mbH (known now as JEN, known until 2016 as AVR GmbH) has been part of the EWN Group since 2003/2016. It is responsible for the dismantling and disposal of the nuclear prototype and research facilities at the Jülich (North Rhine-Westphalia) site. There are suitable treatment, disposal and interim storage facilities and plants at the site.

Kerntechnische Entsorgung Karlsruhe GmbH (known as KTE, formerly WAK) has belonged to the EWN Group since 2006/2009. It bundles all activities concerning the dismantling of decommissioned nuclear research and prototype plants and the necessary disposal activities at the Karlsruhe/KIT Campus Nord (Baden-Württemberg) site.

EWN, JEN and KTE have been amalgamated into the EWN Group in order to perform these tasks efficiently and nevertheless cost-effectively in compliance with radiation, environmental, health and occupational safety regulations. This means that experience and knowledge in comparable work environments can be better transferred and synergetic effects can be achieved faster.

 

Pressurised Water Reactor at Rheinsberg NPP

History

In accordance with a government agreement concluded with the USSR in 1956, Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant, which was the first nuclear power plant in East Germany, was planned and built in close co-operation with German and Soviet specialists. It was equipped with the Russian Type WWER-2 pressurised water reactor.

The 70 MW unit was put into operation on 9th May 1966.

East Germany’s further nuclear power plants were then built at the Lubmin site as from 1969/70. Eight Russian-style type WWER 440 pressurised water nuclear power stations were planned on the Bodden Coast. The first unit was put into operation on 13th December 1973. Units 2-4 went online in 1974, 1978 and 1979. Trial operation began in Unit 5 as from 1989 before the planned commissioning. These nuclear power plants generated approximately 11% of East Germany’s electricity. The former East Germany’s nuclear power plants were operated by the Kombinat Kernkraftwerke “Bruno Leuschner” which was founded in 1980.

If required, you can obtain further data on the history of the former East Germany’s nuclear power stations by visiting EWN’s information centre or by visiting the Rheinsberg site.


In course of the German reunification, all reactor units in Rheinsberg and Greifswald were shut down. In 1991, the supervisory board of the Energiewerke Nord GmbH, which had been founded in the meantime, resolved the permanent closure and dismantling of the nuclear power plants.

The shutdown of the reactor units and the decision to decommission the entire plant caused mass sackings. The remaining EWN employees now had to tackle the new task they were faced with, the dismantling of their own power stations. After the formulation of approval documents, applications to shut down and dismantle the nuclear facility were submitted in 1994.

In 1995, EWN GmbH received the appropriate licence to dismantle both nuclear power plants from the respective competent regional authorities.


Further activities

On the basis of the expertise acquired, EWN is involved in the decommissioning, dismantling and disposal of nuclear plants in Germany and abroad.

As a result of negotiations between the G8 countries in 2002 in Kananaskis (Canada), a disposal programme for Russian nuclear submarines was resolved upon. Germany confirmed its participation in this project with € 600 million. In 2003, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy commissioned EWN to realise the project. A long-term interim storage facility for the nuclear submarines was finished on Sayda Bay near Murmansk in September 2011 and handed over to the Russian operator.
in the period from 2007 to 2015, a disposal centre for radioactive waste modeled after EWN’s Interim Storage Facility North near Lubmin was set up at the same site. EWN successfully completed this big commission on time and within budget.

In addition to these activities, EWN is supporting the development of the site of the Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant into an important location for energy and industry in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.