Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant
History
Construction began in 1975, and the power plant was commissioned on October 14, 1986. The plant was built by a first-of-its-kind joint venture between PreussenElektra AG and Hamburgische Electricitäts-Werke, since 2002 part of Vattenfall. During the construction phase in the 1970s and 1980s there were violent protests against nuclear power at the location.
In May 2021, the 1,400 MW HVDC subsea power cable NordLink between Norway and Germany's Wilster substation near Brokdorf was opened. With almost the same transmission power as the nuclear power plant used to generate, Norwegian hydro power can almost entirely replace the plant, or alternatively surplus German renewable energy can help supply Norway.
As has been planned since 2011 with the German nuclear phase out, the Brokdorf plant was shut down on 31 December 2021. For a period of time, the closure of the plant forced Germany to rely on coal and natural gas, primarily from Russia, to generate electricity. However, since the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, gas has been mainly sourced from other countries.
Description
The plant is a pressurized water reactor with uranium dioxide fuel elements, which are used in degrees of enrichment of 1.9%, 2.5% and 3.5%. It also uses MOX fuel. There are 193 fuel assemblies In the reactor, with a total heavy-metal weight of 103 tons. The power station has a thermal output of 3765 MW, as well as an electrical output of 1440 MW.
The plant is based on the Vor-Konvoi design, which is used in several other nuclear power plants, such as the Grohnde, Grafenrheinfeld and Philippsburg-2 plants in Germany, and the Angra-2 plant in Brazil. It belongs to the 3rd generation of PWR reactors in Germany. With a net generation of just under 12 billion kWh, it was the worldwide leader in 2005.
Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH owns 20% and PreussenElektra GmbH owns 80% of the plant.
See also
References
- ^ Nuclear Power in Germany: A Chronology Archived 1 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ NDR. "AKW Brokdorf ist in der Silvesternacht vom Netz gegangen". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (8 July 2022). "Germany to reactivate coal power plants as Russia curbs gas flow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Brokdorf: Informationen zum Kraftwerk" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ Nucleonics Week Archived 28 December 2003 at the Wayback Machine
External links
Media related to Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant at Wikimedia Commons