Dismantling of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant

The dismantling of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant in Switzerland has been made official. The latter is now under the authority of Uniper Nuclear Services, a subsidiary of the German Uniper Group, which won a contract from the Swiss company BKW to demolish, disassemble and package the plant’s two steam separation heaters (SSRs).

The dismantling of Mühleberg is being carried out in three phases. Uniper will complete the first phase when it has removed all the fuel assemblies from the plant in 2024. The second phase begins with the lifting or cleaning of the controlled areas, which will probably occur around 2030. The third phase includes work to demonstrate that the system is no longer a radiological hazard, scheduled for 2031. By 2034, the site should be available for other uses.

Uniper Nuclear Services has been awarded a contract to dismantle, remove and pack the two moisture separator heaters (MSRs) at the Mühleberg nuclear power plant in Switzerland. The first phase of the process will begin. Uniper is developing a concept that includes semi-automatic mechanical dismantling techniques to accommodate the limited space conditions on site. The company expects to complete all three phases of decommissioning by 2031, after which the site will be available for other uses.

Semi-automated mechanical disassembly techniques to overcome the challenges of limited space

Uniper Nuclear Services has developed a concept that takes into account the limited space conditions on site and uses a high level of semi-automated mechanical disassembly techniques for a target protection oriented design. According to Michael Bächler, Managing Director of Uniper Nuclear Services, “In order to be able to dismantle the two steam separation heaters, we developed a concept that takes into account the limited space conditions on site and has a high proportion of semi-automated mechanical dismantling techniques for a target protection-oriented design.”