Stade Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Nuclear power
station Stade operated from 1972 to 2003 in Bassenfleth close to the Schwinge-river mouth into the Elbe
river. It was the first nuclear plant shut down after Germany's nuclear phase out legislation
and is currently undergoing the decommissioning process (Phase 2: Deconstruction of larger modules in the containment building).
The station is located at the left bank of the Elbe
next to the city Stade
, to the west of Hamburg
in Lower Saxony
beside another shut down power station Schilling Power Station. The KKS was based upon a light water reactor
.
company and started operation on May 19, 1972 shortly after having reached the first criticality
on January 8, 1972.
Between March, 1972 and November, 2003 the KKS supplied electrical power of 662 MW (internal) resp. 630 MW (external), as well as 1,892 MW thermal power. Until September 7, 2005, the power plant ran in "post-operational" mode, since then it is in "residual" mode.
During the 31 years of operation, 157 fuel elements have been consumed, since December 15, 1988 also fuel elements containing 4% uranium
. Since 1984, the nearby saltern
has been supplied with process steam. This was the first supply of thermal energy by a nuclear power station. On Friday, November 14, 2003, at 8:32 a.m. the Stade nuclear power plant has been shut down. The operating company E.ON officially assigned economical reasons, however, Germany's nuclear phase out act of 2000 surely provided also a political motivation.
On April 27, 2005 the last fuel cells have been moved away from the KKS.
Nevertheless, the department of the environment of lower Saxony authorized storage of weak nuclear waste until 2046. .
Meanwhile it is planned to construct a black coal power plant with almost the same power as the KKS. This requires extension of the harbour of Stade-Bützfleth with a coal terminal for 1.7 million t black coal.
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
station Stade operated from 1972 to 2003 in Bassenfleth close to the Schwinge-river mouth into the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river. It was the first nuclear plant shut down after Germany's nuclear phase out legislation
Nuclear power phase-out
A nuclear power phase-out is the discontinuation of usage of nuclear power for energy production. Often initiated because of concerns about nuclear power, phase-outs usually include shutting down nuclear power plants and looking towards renewable energy and other fuels.Austria was the first country...
and is currently undergoing the decommissioning process (Phase 2: Deconstruction of larger modules in the containment building).
The station is located at the left bank of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
next to the city Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
, to the west of 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...
in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
beside another shut down power station Schilling Power Station. The KKS was based upon a light water reactor
Light water reactor
The light water reactor is a type of thermal reactor that uses normal water as its coolant and neutron moderator. Thermal reactors are the most common type of nuclear reactor, and light water reactors are the most common type of thermal reactor...
.
History
The power plant was built by the SiemensSiemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
company and started operation on May 19, 1972 shortly after having reached the first 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 January 8, 1972.
Between March, 1972 and November, 2003 the KKS supplied electrical power of 662 MW (internal) resp. 630 MW (external), as well as 1,892 MW thermal power. Until September 7, 2005, the power plant ran in "post-operational" mode, since then it is in "residual" mode.
During the 31 years of operation, 157 fuel elements have been consumed, since December 15, 1988 also fuel elements containing 4% uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. Since 1984, the nearby saltern
Saltern
Saltern is a word with a number of differing meanings. In English archaeology, a saltern is an area used for salt making, especially in the East Anglian fenlands....
has been supplied with process steam. This was the first supply of thermal energy by a nuclear power station. On Friday, November 14, 2003, at 8:32 a.m. the Stade nuclear power plant has been shut down. The operating company E.ON officially assigned economical reasons, however, Germany's nuclear phase out act of 2000 surely provided also a political motivation.
Deconstruction
The power plant deconstruction is divided into 5 phases, which shall be completed until 2015.- Phase 1: Deconstruction of machinery and parts, which are not required for "residual" operation. Preparation of further steps and infrastructure.
- Phase 2: Deconstruction of large components in the containment building
- Phase 3: Deconstruction of the pressure containment building and the biological shield
- Phase 4: Deconstruction of the remaining contaminated parts. Proof of absence of contamination. Release of remaining structures out of governmental nuclear supervision.
- Phase 5: Destruction of conventional structures.
On April 27, 2005 the last fuel cells have been moved away from the KKS.
Nevertheless, the department of the environment of lower Saxony authorized storage of weak nuclear waste until 2046. .
Consequences
After shutdown of the Stade nuclear power plant, the operation of the nearby saltern has been shut down also.Meanwhile it is planned to construct a black coal power plant with almost the same power as the KKS. This requires extension of the harbour of Stade-Bützfleth with a coal terminal for 1.7 million t black coal.
See also
- 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...
- Germany's nuclear phase out legislationNuclear power phase-outA nuclear power phase-out is the discontinuation of usage of nuclear power for energy production. Often initiated because of concerns about nuclear power, phase-outs usually include shutting down nuclear power plants and looking towards renewable energy and other fuels.Austria was the first country...