Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant
in Geesthacht
near Hamburg
, Germany. It was taken into operation in 1983 and is owned 50% by Vattenfall
via Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH
and 50% by E.ON
, and operated by the Swedish Vattenfall. Its gross power production is 1,401 MW, using a boiling water reactor
.
The reactor is the world's largest of its type in commercial operation. It is nearly identical to three other German nuclear reactors, namely Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant
(near Hamburg), Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant
Block 1 and Isar Nuclear Power Plant Block 1, as well as the Austrian Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant
, that never went into service.
Since July 4, 2009 the reactor is not running.
have been found in the area around the power plant. While Krümmel has been suspected, it has not been possible to establish the cause of the cases.
On June 28, 2007, a short circuit caused a fire in the transformer
of the power plant and required the plant to be shut down. Power outages were experienced in the neighboring areas. The sequence of events caused the dismissal and resignation of several Vattenfall Europe AG employees.
On June 21, 2009, the Krümmel reactor was restarted for the first time since the 2007 fire, and the plant started to produce electricity again but was shut down for the second time on July 4, 2009, only a few days after its two-year-long repair period. The shutdown was caused by a short-circuit in a transformer that was very similar to what caused the June 2007 fire. The reactor shut down normally and was not affected, but it will be another year before the plant can re-open again because new transformers will not be available until April or May 2010. The plant's general manager resigned. In a press conference July 9, Ernst Michael Züfle, head of the nuclear division of Vattenfall, acknowledged that there was damage to "perhaps a few fuel elements." Even before the shutdown, foreign bodies—sharp shards of metal from earlier work that should have been flushed—were found to have ended up, potentially dangerously, in the reactor and had, to some degree, been cleaned out. On July 7, Wulf Bernotat, CEO of E.on, wrote in a sharply worded letter to Vattenfall management in Sweden that his company was "appalled" by the handling of safety procedures at the plant, according to a lengthy report in Spiegel. The report went on to discuss how the accident could impact the German national debate about nuclear power plant license extensions.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
in Geesthacht
Geesthacht
Geesthacht is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, 34 km southeast of Hamburg on the right bank of the river Elbe.-History:*Around 800: A church is documented....
near Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany. It was taken into operation in 1983 and is owned 50% by Vattenfall
Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a Swedish power company. The name Vattenfall is Swedish for waterfall, and is an abbreviation of its original name, Royal Waterfall Board...
via Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH
Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH
Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH has ownership in three nuclear power plants in Germany. It is located in Überseering 12, 22297 Hamburg.* Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant , taken out of service in 2007.* Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant , reactor not in service since 4 July...
and 50% by E.ON
E.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
, and operated by the Swedish Vattenfall. Its gross power production is 1,401 MW, using a boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
.
The reactor is the world's largest of its type in commercial operation. It is nearly identical to three other German nuclear reactors, namely Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant
Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant
Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant in Brunsbüttel near Hamburg, Germany. It is owned 67% by Vattenfall and 33% by E.ON. It started operation in 1976 and has a gross power production of 806 MW. As part of the nuclear power phase-out, it was taken out of service in 2007....
(near Hamburg), Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant
Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant
The Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant is located in Philippsburg in Karlsruhe . It is operated by EnBW Kernkraft GmbH.It houses two units, the first a BWR and the second a PWR ....
Block 1 and Isar Nuclear Power Plant Block 1, as well as the Austrian Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant
Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant
The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was the first nuclear plant built in Austria, of 6 nuclear plants originally envisaged. The plant at Zwentendorf, Austria was finished, but never operated. Start-up of the Zwentendorf plant, as well as construction of the other 5 plants, was prevented by a...
, that never went into service.
Since July 4, 2009 the reactor is not running.
Controversies and accidents
Since 1986, an overly high number of cases of leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
have been found in the area around the power plant. While Krümmel has been suspected, it has not been possible to establish the cause of the cases.
On June 28, 2007, a short circuit caused a fire in the transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
of the power plant and required the plant to be shut down. Power outages were experienced in the neighboring areas. The sequence of events caused the dismissal and resignation of several Vattenfall Europe AG employees.
On June 21, 2009, the Krümmel reactor was restarted for the first time since the 2007 fire, and the plant started to produce electricity again but was shut down for the second time on July 4, 2009, only a few days after its two-year-long repair period. The shutdown was caused by a short-circuit in a transformer that was very similar to what caused the June 2007 fire. The reactor shut down normally and was not affected, but it will be another year before the plant can re-open again because new transformers will not be available until April or May 2010. The plant's general manager resigned. In a press conference July 9, Ernst Michael Züfle, head of the nuclear division of Vattenfall, acknowledged that there was damage to "perhaps a few fuel elements." Even before the shutdown, foreign bodies—sharp shards of metal from earlier work that should have been flushed—were found to have ended up, potentially dangerously, in the reactor and had, to some degree, been cleaned out. On July 7, Wulf Bernotat, CEO of E.on, wrote in a sharply worded letter to Vattenfall management in Sweden that his company was "appalled" by the handling of safety procedures at the plant, according to a lengthy report in Spiegel. The report went on to discuss how the accident could impact the German national debate about nuclear power plant license extensions.