By Yasmin Sauter
Nuclear power plants are highly polarizing. Concerned about the major risks, many people are in favor of phasing out nuclear power. In contrast to the apprehensions are people’s personal stories/connections to such an influential site. This blogpost discusses the shutdown of the nuclear power plant Neckarwestheim and how it affects people all over the country.
One of Germany’s last nuclear power plants is located in the south of Germany in the district Heilbronn, in Baden-Württemberg. The site of the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant is about one kilometer from the borders of the Neckarwestheim municipality. The site is home to two nuclear power plants, an interim storage facility and several administrative buildings.
About this Blog
This is the 22nd blog post of the series of 23 blogs prepared by graduate students and early career professionals who shared their views on the future of heritage and landscape planning.
The writers of these blogposts participated in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme “Heritage and the Planning of Landscapes” in October 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The nuclear power plant
The site was built in several stages. The first power plant, “Neckarwestheim I”, was built in the 1970s and went into operation for the first time in 1976. Initially the license was only granted for a limited period of four years. The operator EnBW did not receive a permanent license until 1980. Eight years later, the second reactor “Neckarwestheim II” was put into operation. In 2006, an interim storage facility was commissioned. Eight years later an additional application was made for the construction of a residual waste storage facility, which was approved in 2018. Construction began in 2016 and the storage facility went into operation in 2020.
Government decisions on nuclear power
In 2011, the news of the nuclear accident in Fukushima shook the whole world. On the afternoon of March 11, 2011, a tsunami hit Fukushima and triggered several accidents at the nuclear power plant. This resulted in a core meltdown and an escape of large amounts of radioactivity.
This disaster also generated a debate on the future of nuclear power within the German federal parliament. Initially, an inspection of all active nuclear power plants in Germany was ordered. The safety of the power plants was to be tested in various scenarios.
First discussions on nuclear energy in Germany were held in 2002 when authorities decided to abandon nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy by 2032. After the events in Fukushima in 2011 the exit was pushed forward to 2022. This timeline was pushed back again in 2022 when the conflict in Ukraine happened and energy supply in Germany was uncertain. So the German federal parliament decided to take the remaining power plants off the grid by April 2023.
Shutdown and plans for Neckarwestheim
The Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant was shut down in several stages. Decommissioning was ordered for the “Neckarwestheim I” reactor back in 2011. Decommissioning began in February 2017 and there have been no active fuel rods in this reactor since April 2018.
Decommissioning was requested for “Neckarwestheim II” in July 2016. This reactor was one of the few power plants whose operating life was extended due to the war in Ukraine. However, the operating license for this plant finally expired in April 2023 and the plant was decommissioned. The complete dismantling is expected to take 15 to 20 years.
However, part of the site is still being used. The nuclear power plant still serves as an interim storage facility for nuclear waste, as no final repository has been found in Germany so far. In addition to the fuel rods from its own operations, fuel elements from the decommissioned Obrigheim nuclear power plant have also been stored here since 2017. According to the operator, Neckarwestheim will continue to serve as an interim storage facility for an indefinite period. What will happen to the site after its use as an interim storage facility is still unclear.
Different influences the Power station has
Protests against the use of nuclear energy have been taking place at the nuclear power plant for a long time. The protesters have been campaigning for the nuclear power plant to be shut down for good.
Another major protest action took place during the transportation of fuel elements from the nuclear power plant in Obrigheim to the Neckarwestheim interim storage facility.
Living in Neckarwestheim municipality you built your own personal relationship with the power station. Learning about the effects nuclear power can have on humanity and the environment becomes more serious. The residents of the surrounding villages also benefited from the plant, above all the municipality of Neckarwestheim, which profits greatly financially. The Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant was not only an employer during its active operation, with up to 700 employees, but many people will still be working on the site during the dismantling phase. But still the power station becomes part of your home as well. Having the cloud over the station was a sign to guide you home and although shutting it down was a long process it was weird to not have this sign that was visible from afar.
Having a constructed area this big that doesn’t fit the typology of the surrounding built structures automatically stands out. But over time the power station really became a part of the landscape.
With the decision of shutting down all the nuclear power stations in Germany, I think we really have to decide how we want to handle this kind of heritage in the future.
Bibliography
Baden-Württemberg Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft 19.12.2017, Transport von Brennelementen von Obrigheim nach Neckarwestheim 19.12.2017, zugänglich über: https://um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/umwelt-natur/kernenergie/entsorgung/zwischenlagerung/zwischenlagerung-neckarwestheim/castortransport-per-transportschiff.
Baden-Württemberg Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft 27.04.2020, Neckarwestheim (GKN) I 27.04.2020, zugänglich über: https://um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/umwelt-natur/kernenergie/kerntechnische-anlagen/kernkraftwerke-in-baden-wuerttemberg/neckarwestheim/neckarwestheim-gkn-i.
Baden-Württemberg Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft 01.09.2021, Zwischenlager Neckarwestheim 01.09.2021, zugänglich über: https://um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/umwelt-natur/kernenergie/entsorgung/zwischenlagerung/zwischenlagerung-neckarwestheim.
Baden-Württemberg Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft 28.06.2024, Stilllegung und Abbau des Kernkraftwerkes Neckarwestheim II 28.06.2024, zugänglich über: https://um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/umwelt-natur/kernenergie/kerntechnische-anlagen/kernkraftwerke-in-baden-wuerttemberg/neckarwestheim/stilllegung-und-abbau-gkn-ii.
Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung 21.01.2024, Der Atomausstieg in Deutschland 21.01.2024, zugänglich über: https://www.base.bund.de/DE/themen/kt/ausstieg-atomkraft/ausstieg_node.html.
Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung 01.10.2024, Fukushima am 11. März 2011: Der katastrophale Unfall und seine Folgen 01.10.2024, zugänglich über: https://www.base.bund.de/DE/themen/kt/unfaelle/fukushima/fukushima_node.html.
Nising 15.04.2024
Nising, Jens, Bürgermeister von Neckarwestheim: Viele Einwohner “traurig über Atomausstieg” 15.04.2024, zugänglich über: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/heilbronn/neckarwestheim-ein-jahr-nach-dem-atomausstieg-100.html.
Schirmer, Robra 11.03.2023
Schirmer, Ulrike, Robra, Alice, Jahrestag von Fukushima: rund 300 Atomkraftgegner vor Neckarwestheimer Meiler 11.03.2023, zugänglich über: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/heilbronn/fukushima-demo-in-neckarwestheim-100.html.
ZEIT ONLINE, dpa, AFP, cck 11.10.2017, Proteste gegen Castortransport auf dem Neckar 11.10.2017, zugänglich über: https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2017-10/atommuell-castor-transport-neckar-baden-wuerttemberg-protest.
About the author
Yasmin Sauter is a master student at the Hochschule RheinMain in Wiesbaden, currently studying built heritage conservation. This blog post was inspired by her participation in the Heriland Blended Intensive Program on “Heritage and Landscapes Futures”, in Gothenburg, Sweden, in October 2024.