Dismantling of the French Fessenheim NPP begins in May

The Alsatian Fessenheim nuclear power plant, as France's oldest nuclear power plant, will be dismantled starting in May 2026. The NPP, which was shut down in 2020, will therefore not be reactivated. A melting plant for radioactive scrap is to be built for the reuse of the site.

The French NPP operator EDF intends to begin dismantling in May 2026. The nuclear power plant, located in Alsace near the German border, was shut down in 2020 after 42 years of operation, following long-standing protests. EDF has submitted the permit for the dismantling of the NPP to the French nuclear regulatory authority, Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (ASNR). It is expected to give the green light for the work in March.

Dismantling from May

Important preparatory work has already been completed. The fuel elements were removed from the nuclear power plant in 2022. Preparations for the upcoming dismantling were 98 percent complete as of the end of January.

Dismantling will begin with the removal of the three steam generators of reactor 1. In the first dismantling phase, the storage racks for the used fuel elements are also to be removed and disposed of. Subsequent phases will involve dismantling work on, among other things, the reactors and the remediation of the site. EDF's current plan is for the work to be completed in 2041.

Melting plant for nuclear waste

As early as 2027, part of the previously unused area is to be redeveloped. A melting plant, the Technocentre, for low-level radioactive scrap is to be built there. This includes, for example, the metals from the steam generators of nuclear power plants. The melting plant will then centrally process the metal waste from French nuclear power plants. EDF expects to melt a total of 500,000 tons of radioactive metal, which is to be partly disposed of and partly recycled.

However, it will take a little longer until then. The melting plant is scheduled to be completed and operational by 2031. The construction of the plant will cost around 450 million euros. However, Germany has expressed safety concerns regarding the location due to earthquake risks.

Criticism of the Fessenheim NPP continued even after its shutdown in the summer of 2020. Since then, EDF has disposed of tons of boric acid from the nuclear power plant into a Rhineside channel. During its operating period, the Fessenheim NPP produced approximately 448 TWh of electricity.

(olb)