Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Station: Block I Back on the Grid after Revision
The station is ready for continued operation at a high safety level
Karlsruhe. Block I of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power station (GKN I) has been back on the grid since this afternoon 29 October 2009 after the annual revision. In the past two and a half weeks, testing and maintenance work has been carried out and technical projects have been implemented. Around 1000 additional staff members from manufacturing and specialist companies supported the GKN revision team throughout the revision work. The whole team completed around 3000 individual tasks.
Top marks thanks to continual investments
"Block I is in a first class condition. This has not only been ensured with this inspection but with continual investments since initialisation of the plant", reports Jörg Michels, Technical Manager of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power station. "The way in which we handle Block I is also mirrored in independent appraisals. We recently received top marks from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."
Successful implementation of the inspection programme
"I am very pleased with the implementation of operations and the cooperation between our team and the colleagues from manufacturing and specialist companies" sums up Helmut Scherla, Manager of the Block I plant. "All of the planned work has been successfully carried out. The work included the general overhaul of one of the three main supply water pumps, internal tests on the water supply container, upgrading the oil system of one of the three main coolant pumps as well as the inspection on and maintenance of various pumps and pump motors."
The revision work took place under the supervision of the Environmental Ministry for Baden-Württemberg and was accompanied by assessors from the TÜV and KeTAG (Nuclear Technology Assessment Consortium for Baden-Württemberg) commissioned by the ministry.
After acceptance of the work, the Environmental Ministry agreed to the facility being reinitialised. During the revision, two reportable incidents of the lowest report category were displayed and published. These incidents did not have any effect on the safety of the facility, personnel or the environment.
Block I of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power station is a pressurised water reactor with an electrical output of 840 megawatts. The station was taken into operation in 1976 and produced more than four billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the year 2008.
Block I is operated by EnBW Kernkraft GmbH (EnKK). EnKK operates the nuclear power stations in Neckarwestheim and Philippsburg as well as the nuclear power station in Obrigheim which is currently being phased out. Around half the electricity required by Baden-Württemberg is produced at the Neckarwestheim and Philippsburg sites.