Lingen nuclear power plant

Lingen nuclear power plant – From securely sealing to dismantling the plant

The Lingen nuclear power plant is located in close proximity to the Emsland nuclear power plant and the Emsland gas-fired power plant. As the first power plant at that location, Lingen nuclear power plant was on stream as a demonstration plant with an output of 240 MW from 1968 to 1977. The power plant was one of the first commercial nuclear power plants in Germany and was sealed up securely in 1977, i.e. transferred into a low-maintenance safe state. The last remaining fuel elements were taken away from the plant as early as 1986. This means that 99 per cent of the radioactive potential has already been removed. Other buildings including the chimney and the machine hall have already been demolished.

As the responsible nuclear regulatory authority, the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment granted a licence for the first part of the dismantling process in December 2015. Dismantling is divided into two main sub-projects. Sub-project one consists of several dismantling measures in different parts of the buildings containing mostly contaminated material, i.e. material that has come into contact with radioactivity superficially. These components include the reactor support systems and the steam converters. Sub-project 2 is mainly concerned with dismantling activated components, such as the reactor vessel with all its parts and the biological shield. The licence for sub-project 2 has not been granted yet. All dismantling activities are accompanied and monitored by independent experts in collaboration with the authority in charge. The dismantling process of the Lingen nuclear power plant is to be completed by the mid-2020s.

Facts and figures