EnBW is dismantling both Neckarwestheim PWRs: GKN I (shut 2011) since 2017, with its reactor pressure vessel fully removed, and GKN II (shut 15 April 2023) since May 2023 under a permit obtained before shutdown. The hybrid cooling tower is being demolished to make way for a large battery storage plant.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Neckarwestheim, Baden-Württemberg |
| Site | Neckarwestheim |
| Units | GKN I, GKN II |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | PWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 2,095 |
| Owner / licensee | EnBW Kernkraft GmbH (EnBW) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2023-04-15 |
| Decommissioning start | 2017 |
| Spent fuel | GKN I fuel removed to the on-site interim store; GKN II fuel was still in the pool in April 2025 per BASE. |
| Notable issue | Also hosts the central interim store that received Obrigheim's spent fuel by ship in 2017. |
Notes
Net capacities 785 + 1310 MWe per WNA. EnBW expects about €10bn in total to dismantle all five of its units (SWR, April 2025); no per-site split.
Timeline
- 2011 — GKN I ended power operation. (source)
- 2017 — Dismantling of GKN I began, the first of the eight units shut in 2011 to start. (source)
- 2023-04-15 — GKN II was finally disconnected from the grid. (source)
- 2023-05 — Dismantling of GKN II began. (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
- Decommissioning at the Neckarwestheim site — EnBW (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Neckarwestheim: Unit II disconnected from electricity grid — EnBW (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Dismantling of EnBW nuclear power plants — EnBW (primary), 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
- 20 Jahre Abschaltung Kernkraftwerk Obrigheim: Wie es weitergeht — SWR, checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear Power in Germany — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11