France's oldest operating plant, Fessenheim's two PWRs on the Rhine were shut in February and June 2020 under a political phase-down decision. The full dismantling decree was published on 3 May 2026, opening the way for work in the nuclear buildings; EDF expects dismantling to run until 2048.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | France |
| Location | Fessenheim, Haut-Rhin |
| Site | Fessenheim |
| Units | Unit 1, Unit 2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | PWR |
| Owner / licensee | EDF (with EnBW 17.5% and Swiss partners 15%) |
| Decommissioning contractor | EDF / Cyclife Engineering |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2020-06-30 |
| Decommissioning start | 2026-05 |
| Target completion | 2048 |
| Spent fuel | Cores unloaded in 2020; spent fuel shipped to La Hague for reprocessing. |
| Notable issue | Six old steam generators to be shipped to Sweden for metal recycling. |
Notes
Minority stakes per WNA. EDF: ~300 people per year on site through 2048.
Timeline
- 2020-02-22 — Fessenheim Unit 1 was permanently shut down. (source)
- 2020-06-30 — Fessenheim Unit 2 was permanently shut down. (source)
- 2020-11 — EDF submitted its dismantling file to the minister for nuclear safety. (source)
- 2026-05-01 — The government signed decree 2026-336 prescribing Fessenheim's dismantling (published 3 May). (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
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Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brennilis (Monts d'Arrée EL-4) Active dismantling · France
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
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See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Fessenheim : la publication du décret ouvre la voie au démantèlement du site — EDF (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Centrale nucléaire de Fessenheim — ASNR (French nuclear safety authority) (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Décret n° 2026-336 du 1er mai 2026 prescrivant à EDF de procéder aux opérations de démantèlement de l'INB n° 75 (Fessenheim) — Légifrance (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear Power in France — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11