Vattenfall's 771 MWe Brunsbüttel BWR, off the grid since 2007, has been in dismantling since its first permit in December 2018. It has been fuel-free since February 2018, and the second dismantling phase was approved on 15 December 2025.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein |
| Site | Brunsbüttel |
| Units | KKB |
| Unit count | 1 |
| Reactor types | BWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 771 |
| Owner / licensee | Kernkraftwerk Brunsbüttel GmbH & Co. oHG (operated by Vattenfall) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2011-08-06 |
| Decommissioning start | 2018-12-21 |
| Spent fuel | Fuel-free since February 2018. |
| Notable issue | About 300,000 t total mass, of which 1-3% will be radioactive waste awaiting the Konrad repository. |
Notes
Ownership split not confirmed in the sources reviewed (Vattenfall majority). Legal shutdown date 2011-08-06 per WNA; last operation 2007.
Timeline
- 2007 — Brunsbüttel shut down permanently in practice. (source)
- 2012-11-01 — Vattenfall applied for decommissioning and dismantling. (source)
- 2018-02 — The plant became fuel-free. (source)
- 2018-12-21 — The first decommissioning and dismantling permit was granted. (source)
- 2025-12-15 — Schleswig-Holstein granted the permit for the second dismantling phase. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
- Emsland Nuclear Power Plant (KKE) Active dismantling · Germany
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Informationen zum Rückbau eines Kernkraftwerks — Vattenfall (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Kernkraftwerk Brunsbüttel – Vattenfall erhält Genehmigung für zweite Abbauphase — Vattenfall (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear Power in Germany — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11