E.ON reacts to the German nuclear strategy. In fact, Germany has decided to maintain two nuclear power plants. These will therefore remain on standby to limit the impact of the energy crisis affecting Germany, while German industrial production fell in July.
E.ON has doubts
The government’s decision is confusing. In fact, E.ON, one of the operators concerned by this announcement, considers it technically impossible to keep the Isar 2 nuclear power plant on standby. He states:
“We communicated on Monday evening that nuclear power plants are not suitable for operating a standby plant for technical reasons.”
The company says it is in contact with the government.
E.ON is not the only operator concerned. EnBW, which operates the second affected plant, Neckarwestheim 2, also says it is in contact with the government. It is then a matter of clarifying certain details. EnBW announces that it will decide after examining the feasibility of such a measure.
A “bewildered” government
In Germany, the government claims that it was misunderstood. Robert Habeck, Minister of Economic Affairs, says he is “baffled” by the doubts expressed by E.ON.
According to him, the technicians of Preussen Elektra, responsible for the operation of E.ON’s nuclear assets, have misunderstood the German strategy. The latter would not have understood that the plan did not involve the repeated start-up and shut-down of nuclear power plants.
Patrick Graichen, Secretary of Energy, is also involved. The latter responded to E.ON. In a letter to the operator of Isar 2, he explains that he could not foresee what technical problems would result from the plant being put on standby.
This document also offers some clarification of the German strategy. This one offers two possibilities:
- If the proposal for a standby is deemed necessary in December, then one or both of the plant’s reactors would remain in operation.
- The plants could also be back in service in January or February.
E.ON has not yet commented on the government’s latest remarks.
