According to Habeck’s decision
Nuclear power plant operators must first check reserve operation
09/05/2022, 9:20 p.m
In order to secure the power supply in an emergency, Economics Minister Habeck wants to keep two nuclear power plants available until spring. The operators of the nuclear power plants then announce that they first have to examine reserve operation. A group is demanding more details about the plans.
The energy companies Eon and EnBW, operators of the nuclear power plants Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2, have reacted cautiously to the plans of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck to take the two reactors into reserve by April. Eon sees a technical and organizational review of the Isar 2 nuclear power station as necessary. EnBW called for rapid legal clarity for the planned operational readiness of the power plants.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck had previously announced that two of the three remaining German nuclear power plants would be available as reserves after the turn of the year until mid-April 2023. The affected nuclear power plant operators would “obviously” receive compensation – for their staff and other operating costs. The amount of state payments is still unclear, but will be manageable, said Habeck. The skimming off of “random profits” on the electricity market should also bring in the money.
In the evening, Eon announced that the plan presented by the federal government would be primarily about checking whether and how it was technically and organizationally feasible. In terms of their technical design, nuclear power plants are not reserve power plants that can be switched on and off variably. In addition, Eon assured that the Isar 2 nuclear power plant would meet all safety-related requirements even if it continued to operate after December 31 and “is one of the safest plants in the world”. The group has always stated that it will support the federal government’s efforts to ensure a secure energy supply as far as possible and that it is willing to talk if the federal government so wishes.
The energy group EnBW demanded that “the details of the agreed procedure should be specified or clarified by the federal government, if possible in exchange with the power plant operators”. For Neckarwestheim 2, EnBW will then immediately examine the extent of the feasibility of maintaining operational readiness beyond the end of the year, primarily from a technical and organizational perspective.