Nuke Plants Online Again?

Public concern after a June 28 fire at operator Vattenfall Europe's nuclear power station in Krümmel and months of repair work at the Brunsbüttel station -- both near Hamburg -- have kept them off the grid.

The company appointed what it called an "independent" panel to advise it on safety matters following the June incident. In a press release published on Tuesday, Nov. 6 on Vattenfall's Web site, the scientists said that organizational and technical conditions at the two plants are such that safe running of the plants could resume.

However, the panel also recommended a series of improved safety measures.

Vattenfall Europe, one of the four big power generation companies operating in Germany, said it would apply recommendations from the scientists to improve internal and public communications about safety.

No apparent release of radiation

The panel of five scientists said no radiation had been released and that safety mechanisms were functioning correctly when a short-circuit hit Brunsbüttel and the transformer at Krümmel caught fire, according to DPA news agency.

However, the panel also said that there were technical and communication problems among staff involving the emergency shutdown of the Krümmel station. The scientists recommended that staff be better trained.

The power transformer destroyed in the fire at the Krümmel station has meanwhile been replaced as well as faulty fastenings and cracked taps in the part of the station gutted by the fire.

Neither the Krümmel reactor during the fire, nor the Brunsbüttel reactor were damaged.

Reinhardt Hassa, a member of Vattenfall Europe's German board, said the two plants would likely not resume operations until early next year.

Germany has legislated the gradual phase-out of all its nuclear power stations by 2020. Currently, electricity generated from nuclear power satisfies about a quarter of the country's needs.