Philippsburg nuclear power plant: Unit 2 back in operation after inspection work
Karlsruhe. Unit 2 of the Philippsburg nuclear power plant (KKP 2) has returned to the grid today (Friday 20 July 2012) following annual inspection work. Over the past few weeks, the annual replacement of fuel rods has taken place, as well as inspection and maintenance activities. During the inspection work, more than 1,000 additional specialists from manufacturer and special companies supported the KKP inspection team. The whole team carried out more than 1,500 individual activities. EnBW Kernkraft GmbH invested a low two-digit million amount in the plant within the context of the inspection.
"Following completion of the inspection, Philippsburg 2 can now make a significant contribution to grid stability and supply reliability in Baden-Württemberg again," declares Jörg Michels, Technical Director of the Philippsburg nuclear power plant. "The plant supplies electricity to around 3 million private households in Baden-Württemberg reliably and round the clock."
Successful implementation of the inspection programme
"We are very satisfied with the implementation of our inspection programme," reports Thomas Franke, head of unit 2. "We have successfully completed our testing and maintenance programme. The cooperation between our team and the specialists provided by our partner companies worked extremely well."
The inspection work was monitored by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector in Baden-Württemberg and accompanied on behalf of the Ministry by inspectors from TÜV and KeTAG (Kerntechnik-Gütachterarbeitsgemeinschaft Baden-Württemberg). Following the acceptance test for the work, the Ministry agreed to restart the plant. The supervisory authorities were informed of events subject to reporting requirement which were established during inspection. All the events were classified in the lowest reporting category and had no effect on the safety of the plant, the personnel and the environment. The Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector in Baden-Württemberg as well as EnBW Kernkraft GmbH have already informed the public in detail about these events. A valve was damaged during a functional test, for example, and remains of insulation were found on individual wire connections.
Unit 2 of Philippsburg nuclear power plant is a pressurised water reactor with an electrical output of 1,468 megawatts Commissioned in 1984, the facility produced more than 11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2011.