Gerhard Goll: The transfer of electricity volumes to the Obrigheim nuclear power station is a reasonable proposal

Karlsruhe. Gerhard Goll, Chairman of the Board of Management of EnBW, gives the following reasons for the application of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG for the transfer of electricity volumes to the Obrigheim nuclear power station:

The amendment to the legislation on nuclear power expressly provides for this kind of transfer – admittedly as an exception rather than the rule. Goll believes that the EnBW application fulfils the requirements for such a transfer.

He says that this argument is supported in particular by the intermediate store currently in operation in Obrigheim, and that the sensible option is to continue to use an intermediate store of this kind, at least while fuel rod transports still need to take place and/or until other intermediate stores go into operation. Gerhard Goll: "We are by no means convinced of the fact that the planned intermediate stores will actually be in operation by 2005. The Obrigheim nuclear power station can point to an operational intermediate store, and one of the main objectives of the nuclear power consensus was to replace transports with intermediate stores rather than interim stores. Interim stores are not of the same quality as intermediate stores – otherwise it would make no sense to replace interim stores with intermediate stores. Against this backdrop, it would be illogical not to make use of an operational intermediate store by pointing to the option of building an even bigger intermediate store some time in the future."

Goll continues: "Moreover, during the initial phase of a new energy policy drawn up by the last government, the sensible option would be to carry on operating nuclear power stations that can currently only be replaced by existing coal-fired power plants. The Obrigheim nuclear power station, whose generated power is used for base load provision, is a case in point. Continued operation is more or less dictated by the commitment to avoid CO2 emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol – at least until such time as a sufficient number of alternative systems have been built. If, as outlined in the application, the transfer of electricity volumes is at the expense of the youngest nuclear power station, this will reduce the overall duration of operation of nuclear power stations here in Germany. A reduction in duration of operation was one of the central goals of the nuclear power consensus."

The Chairman of the EnBW Board of Management believes there are no safety considerations that speak against the company’s application to transfer electricity volumes to the Obrigheim nuclear power station. He says that, following the wide-ranging, ongoing renovation and upgrading work at Obrigheim, the objections based on the age of the power station are no longer relevant. He also emphasises that countless safety inspections have shown that the oft-repeated reservations concerning the embrittlement of the reactor pressure vessel are unwarranted.

"The existence of the operational intermediate store in Obrigheim formed the basis of the agreement between Chancellor Schröder and myself. This agreement was confirmed on April 10, 2002 and is still in place. I am therefore confident that the Chancellor will keep his word and that he will be able to convince his coalition partner that this agreement offers the best solution", says Goll.