Unit II of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant to be taken off the grid for precautionary testing measures

Karlsruhe. Unit II of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant (GKN II) will be temporarily shutdown expected upcoming on Friday 25 October 2013 for testing. This precautionary measure reflects the safety-oriented approach of EnBW.

The reason for this step is that measurements in the primary circuit of the power plant indicate a defective fuel element. "True to our philosophy of "safety before business", we are taking GKN II off the grid in order to check the fuel elements in use and to replace them if necessary", explained Christoph Heil, Technical Director of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant.

An assessment has currently established that this is not a reporting event pursuant to the German Atomrechtliche Meldeverordnung AtSMV (ordinance on procedures under the Atomic Energy Act).

The supervisory authority, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy Industry of Baden-Württemberg, has been informed about the shutdown of the power plant.

Unit II of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant is a pressurised water reactor with electric output of 1,400 megawatts. The plant was commissioned in 1989, and produced around eleven billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2012.