Leak in control valve: Isar 2 nuclear power plant temporarily switched off after a fault

Created: 01/10/2022, 4:28 PM

Isar 2: The nuclear power plant in Essenbach near Landshut had to be temporarily disconnected from the grid.

© Armin Weigel / dpa

The Isar 2 nuclear power plant in Essenbach near Landshut is due to go offline at the end of the year.

But the nuclear power plant already had to be shut down as a precaution.

However, there is no risk, the operator assures.

Essenbach - The Isar 2 nuclear power plant in Lower Bavaria was temporarily shut down on Sunday morning due to a technical malfunction.

As the operator Preussen Elektra announced in Hanover, there is a leak in a control valve "in the feed water system of the secondary water-steam cycle".

This causes water vapor to escape, but it is not radioactive.

For technical reasons and because of work safety, the error can only be carried out when the system is depressurized.

How long Isar 2 will remain off was initially unclear.

The nuclear power plant in Essenbach (Landshut district) is the last one in Bavaria that has not yet finally gone offline.

It has been in the process of being dismantled since 2017 and is scheduled to be shut down for good at the end of 2022.

Nuclear power plant in Essenbach: 500 employees

According to the information, around 500 people are employed at the site.

Most recently, the Gundremmingen C nuclear power plant in the Swabian district of Günzburg ceased operations at the end of 2021.

In view of the departure from nuclear energy, concerns about security of supply in Germany have recently increased significantly for many companies.