The Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant (KGR)

The KGR is located 20 km in the north east of Greifswald.

The Energiewerke Nord (EWN) are performing the world's largest decommissioning project, about eight (8) reactor units of the Russian pressurized water reactor "WWER-440" type.

Short history

• 1967: Start of exploration activities
• 1970: Commencement of the construction work for the main facilities
• 1973: Commissioning of unit 1
• 1974: Commissioning of unit 2
• 1977: Commissioning of unit 3
• 1979: Commissioning of unit 4
• 1989: Trial operation of unit 5
• 1990: Shutdown of all units
• 1995: Decommissioning license issued

Site Description

On the site of Greifswald, there are in total eight (8) reactor units of the Russian pressurized water reactor type "WWER-440".

The units 1 to 4 are of the model V 230 and the units 5 to 8 of the more recent model V 213. The reactors are configured on a double-unit basis, i.e. two reactors are arranged in one reactor hall with certain mechanical equipment and secondary systems together.

On the other hand, there is only one turbine hall (roughly 1 200 m long) for all reactors.

There are also three plants for treatment and storage of liquid radioactive waste. The solid waste is stored in concrete pits.

On site, there is furthermore a wet storage for fuel elements and a large warm workshop.

On the smaller site in Rheinsberg, EWN is also decommissioning and dismantling a Russian prototype pressure water reactor "WWER-2".

Strategy

The possibilities for an immediate dismantling of a safe enclosure have been investigated.

The decision for an immediate dismantling was taken based on financial and radiological factors.

The timely planning on the basis of a thorough technical and radiological registration of the plant and the organization of the overall waste management, covering the facilities for the treatment of residual material and waste as well as buffer and interim storage for the large amount of produced masses, are an absolutely necessary precondition for a successful project.

Due to the limited reopening of the final disposal site in Morsieben (ERAM) and the lack of long term disposal possibilities in Germany, the Interim Storage North (ISN) on site as an independent integrated treatment and storage centre will be of central importance for the waste management scheme.

The fuel elements will be loaded into "CASTOR" casks and transferred to the ISN for dry storage.

Licensing

The licensing procedure is based on the conditions laid down in the decommissioning license issued 30 June 1995 (License for the decommissioning of the overall plant and for the dismantling of plant parts).

The further dismantling of plant parts will be applied for step by step according to "§ 7 (3) of the Atomic Law".

The scope and time schedule is determined by the proceeding of the overall project and its optimisation. So, the consistent use of personnel capacities, a continuous planning work and the continuity in the licensing procedures and in-process control can be guaranteed.

According to the present project status, it can be distinguished between the following 7 license applications for the dismantling of plant parts:

1. Application for model dismantling of inactive components in unit 5.
2. Application for dismantling of plant parts in the controlled area units ½.
3. Application for the dismantling of plant parts in the controlled area units ¾.
4. Application for remote dismantling of the reactors 1-4.
5. Applications for the dismantling of the Special Building facilities 1 and 2, the Common Special Buildings, the filling station and the post operational systems.
6. Decommissioning and dismantling of the wet interim storage for spent fuel.

Due to its relatively low activation, the reactor of unit 5 which was only in trial run will be transported in as large as possible parts (complete internals, reactor pressure vessel as a whole) to the ISN.

It is assumed that a public hearing will only be required by the authorities for the application of the remote dismantling of the reactors 1-4.

Project management

On the basis of an analysis of the company development and personnel strategy, a technical concept was worked out and the project was broken down to working package level.

The critical path goes over the mock-up remote dismantling in unit 5 to the remote dismantling in the units 1-4 and the dismantling of auxiliary systems and finally the building demolition.

Figure 1. Basic time schedule of the decommissioning project

The project was optimized from the cost and personnel point of view in order to obtain a constant personnel number.

For the project management, a software has been developed allowing in addition to the normal project control tasks to perform the technical planning, work preparation planning, tracking and control of dismantled material and radioactive waste etc ...

Actual data from the dismantling operations are registered, evaluated and fed back into the system.

Figure 2. Project management

Further information

• Dismantling of the Reactor Pressure Vessel
• Management of Wastes
• Picture Gallery

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