PreussenElektra is dismantling both Isar units near Landshut: Isar 1 (BWR, shut 2011) since its 2017 permit, and Isar 2 (Germany's most powerful PWR, shut 15 April 2023) since a March 2024 permit. The operator aims to finish the Essenbach site by the end of the 2030s.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Essenbach, Bavaria |
| Site | Isar / Ohu |
| Units | Isar 1, Isar 2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | BWR, PWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 2,288 |
| Owner / licensee | PreussenElektra (E.ON) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2023-04-15 |
| Decommissioning start | 2017-01 |
| Spent fuel | Spent fuel in CASTOR casks at the on-site interim store (state-run BGZ). |
| Notable issue | Isar 2 was one of the last three German reactors; Bavaria's government opposed the 2023 shutdown. A November 2025 mishap briefly interrupted Isar 2 dismantling. |
Notes
Net capacities 878 + 1410 MWe per WNA. Isar 1 legal shutdown date 2011-08-06 per WNA (operation ended March 2011). PreussenElektra target: site dismantled by end of the 2030s (no exact year).
Timeline
- 2011-03 — Isar 1 was shut down with seven other German reactors after Fukushima. (source)
- 2017-01 — The decommissioning and dismantling permit for Isar 1 was granted. (source)
- 2023-04-15 — Isar 2 permanently shut down in Germany's nuclear phase-out. (source)
- 2024-03 — Bavaria issued the dismantling permit for Isar 2; Isar 1 dismantling was about half complete. (source)
- 2025-11 — A mishap interrupted Isar 2 dismantling; regular work resumed in March 2026. (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
- 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
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Kernkraftwerk Isar — PreussenElektra (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Permit issued for dismantling of Isar 2 — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Isar 2 (Niederbayern): Rückbau läuft — Die Bayern, checked 2026-10-11
- Zwei Jahre nach dem Atomausstieg läuft bei allen AKW der Rückbau — BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management) (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear Power in Germany — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11