Biblis Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Biblis Nuclear Power Plant is in the South Hessian
municipality of Biblis
and consists of two units: unit A with a gross output of 1200 megawatts and unit B with a gross output of 1300 megawatts. Both units are pressurized water reactor
s. The operator of this power plant is the German RWE Power AG
, an electrical utility based in Essen
.
unit A began operation on July 16, 1974 and entered commercial service on August 25, 1974. unit B reached criticality
on March 25, 1976.
On December 17, 1987 an incident (INES
1) occurred: Coworkers overlooked a stop valve that had not been closed. In order to close the armature a valve was opened. Radioactive primary cooling agent discharged for a short time into the annular space. Because the discharge of the reactor cooling water took place outside of the reactor containment, there was no feedback from the sump over the safety feeding pumps and/or cooling pumps. The incident became public one year later, when an article in an American technical periodical (Nucleonic Weeks) was published. There have been other incidents afterwards, none of which has been rated over 1 on INES scale.
In the course of a routine swap of unit A's fuel assembly in September 2010 a malfunction of its emergency system was detected. The automated switchover of the power supply from unit B to A proved broken, which meant that the ability to perform countermeasures would have been severely impaired in case of an emergency. Previous demands by Germany's Green party
and the IPPNW
to construct an external control stand were refused by Hessen's environment minister Lucia Puttrich (CDU
) on the ground that both units could provide each other with energy should an incident occur.
Biblis is the partner power station of the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant
.
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
municipality of Biblis
Biblis
Biblis is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community lies in the Rhine rift west of the Odenwald between Darmstadt to the north and Mannheim to the south; it also lies north of Bürstadt...
and consists of two units: unit A with a gross output of 1200 megawatts and unit B with a gross output of 1300 megawatts. Both units are pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s. The operator of this power plant is the German RWE Power AG
RWE Power AG
RWE Power AG is a subsidiary of RWE AG. It operates several power plants in Germany.- Nuclear Power Plants :* Gundremmingen Nuclear Power Plant * Biblis Nuclear Power Plant* Emsland Nuclear Power Plant...
, an electrical utility based in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
.
unit A began operation on July 16, 1974 and entered commercial service on August 25, 1974. unit B reached criticality
Criticality
Criticality may refer to:* Critical thinking in education* Critical reflection in adult education* Critical mass in nuclear reactions* Criticality accident* Criticality matrix* Nuclear Criticality Safety...
on March 25, 1976.
On December 17, 1987 an incident (INES
International Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to enable prompt communication of safety significance information in case of nuclear accidents....
1) occurred: Coworkers overlooked a stop valve that had not been closed. In order to close the armature a valve was opened. Radioactive primary cooling agent discharged for a short time into the annular space. Because the discharge of the reactor cooling water took place outside of the reactor containment, there was no feedback from the sump over the safety feeding pumps and/or cooling pumps. The incident became public one year later, when an article in an American technical periodical (Nucleonic Weeks) was published. There have been other incidents afterwards, none of which has been rated over 1 on INES scale.
In the course of a routine swap of unit A's fuel assembly in September 2010 a malfunction of its emergency system was detected. The automated switchover of the power supply from unit B to A proved broken, which meant that the ability to perform countermeasures would have been severely impaired in case of an emergency. Previous demands by Germany's Green party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
and the IPPNW
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens who share the common goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation...
to construct an external control stand were refused by Hessen's environment minister Lucia Puttrich (CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
) on the ground that both units could provide each other with energy should an incident occur.
Biblis is the partner power station of the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant
Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant
-External links:* – website in English* – website in Russian and English* – International environmental organization...
.
Incidents
| INES Ines Ines is a variation of the name Agnes.Ines may also refer to:* Inès, French variation of the name* Saint Ines * Inés Sainz Ines is a variation of the name Agnes.Ines may also refer to:* Inès, French variation of the name* Saint Ines (c. 291 – c. 304)* Inés Sainz Ines is a variation of the name... Events |
2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INES 0 Biblis A | 6 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 8 |
| INES 0 Biblis B | 7 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| INES 1 Biblis A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| INES 1 Biblis B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
See also
- Nuclear power in GermanyNuclear power in GermanyNuclear power in Germany accounted for 23% of national electricity consumption, before the permanent shutdown of 8 plants in March 2011. German nuclear power began with research reactors in the 1950s and 1960s with the first commercial plant coming online in 1969...
- Anti-nuclear movement in GermanyAnti-nuclear movement in GermanyThe anti-nuclear movement in Germany has a long history dating back to the early 1970s, when large demonstrations prevented the construction of a nuclear plant at Wyhl. The Whyl protests were an example of a local community challenging the nuclear industry through a strategy of direct action and...
External links
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant, Unit B (drawing)
- Biblis power plant - A brief portrait (includes plant specifications), RWE Power, May 2004