Germany After the Fukushima Daiichi accident, Germany decided to abandon nuclear power before the end of 2022. A total of 29 reactors are currently being decommissioned. The site of the 100 MWe heavy water reactor in Niederaichbach has been completely cleaned out and decommissioning of 3 other reactors has been completed. Recently, the 1400 MWe PWR type Phillipsburg 2 reactor was shut down and is being decommissioned, along with the 1344 MWe BWR type Gundremmingen NPP reactor C, the and the reactors of the Grohnde and Brokdorf NPPs. Belgium The decommissioning of the RB3 pressurised water reactor, which started in June 1987, is the first of its kind in Belgium and indeed in Western Europe. The European Commission selected BR3 as the pilot project to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of reactor decommissioning in real conditions. According to the decommissioning plan, the reactor will be fully decommissioned by the end of 2023. Spain In Spain, 3 reactors have been definitively shut down, but the dismantling strategies differ according to the reactor technology. The Vandellós 1 gas-cooled reactor is undergoing deferred dismantling, owing to the lack of a management route for graphite waste. Deferred dismantling is also the option chosen for the Santa María de Garoña reactor, shut down in 2013. In 2011, decommissioning of the José Cabrera NPP in Zorita began, after its shutdown in 2006. As at 31 December 2020, it is estimated that more than 90% of the envisaged decommissioning operations have been carried out. Russia In Russia, several power reactors are undergoing or awaiting decommissioning. These are mainly PWRs and reactors with a graphite moderator. Although the decommissioning preparatory operations have been performed, the dismantling strategy for these reactors has not yet been completely determined. Japan In Japan, 24 reactors are currently undergoing or awaiting decommissioning, including the 6 reactors on the Fukushima Daiichi site and 3 reactors already definitively shut down prior to the accident. In most cases, the final shutdown decision was driven by profitability concerns, given the scale of the work required to ensure compliance with the new safety standards. The strategy generally adopted comprises an initial period of about a decade in which the reactor is kept in safe conditions, before decommissioning operations begin. Decommissioning challenges • 25
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