German utilities E.ON AG (EOAN.XE) and Vattenfall Europe said Wednesday they have agreed on talks to improve the operational performances and safety record of two nuclear power plants that have been offline since 2007.
German utilities E.ON AG (EOAN.XE) and Vattenfall Europe said Wednesday
they have agreed on talks to improve the operational performances and safety
record of two nuclear power plants that have been offline since 2007.
The discussions could result in E.ON taking over operational control of the
power plants from Vattenfall, the companies said in a joint statement.
The reactors Kruemmel and Brunsbuettel are jointly owned by the two energy
companies, but Vattenfall has operational control.
The power plants have been offline for the best part of three years following
glitches. Vattenfall had been fiercely criticized in public by politicians and
sector competitors over its handling and communications of the outages. On
several occasions regional politicians had questioned Vattenfall's capability
to responsibly operate the power plants.
Vattenfall and E.ON also said that the decision to discuss the possible
optimization of the two power plants comes in response to "changes in
Germany
's
nuclear-energy laws".
The government earlier this year agreed to extend the operating lives of the
country's 17 nuclear reactors. In return for longer operating lives utilities
have to pay a tax on nuclear fuel rods for the next six years, contribute to a
fund that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy sources and guarantee
investment to improve the safety of the nuclear reactors.
"In the months ahead, the two companies will conduct a thorough review, in
particular of the technical situation and operating processes at the two
facilities, and calculate the investments necessary to overhaul and update
them," E.ON and Vattenfall said.
The companies intend to conclude the talks in the first half of 2011, they
added.
E.ON and Vattenfall both own 50% in the 1.3 gigawatt reactor Kruemmel. The
806-megawatt Brunsbuettel reactor is 66.7% owned by Vattenfall, while E.ON owns
the remaining 33.3%.
Vattenfall spokesman Stefan Mueller said that the company currently expects the
Kruemmel reactor to resume power generation in the first quarter of 2011. Brunsbuettel
is expected to be back online in the second half of 2011, he added.
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