EnBW applies for transfer of generating quotas at Neckarwestheim

Thursday, 11 January 2007 EnBW Kernkraft GmbH has submitted an application to the German Ministry of the Environment for the transfer of residual electricity volumes to the Neckarwestheim 1 nuclear power reactor.

The application requests transfer of a total of 46.9 TWh from the residual electricity quota of Neckarwestheim 2. The transfer of this volume of electricity would result in a projected extension of the operating time of Neckarwestheim 1 of about eight years up to 2017. The transfer would simultaneously reduce the projected operating time of Neckarwestheim 2 by about five years to 2017.

In October 1998, a coalition government was formed between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party, the latter having polled only 6.7% of the vote. As a result, these two parties agreed to change the law to establish the eventual phasing out of nuclear power.

Long drawn-out "consensus talks" with the electric utilities were intended to establish a timetable for phase out, with the Greens threatening unilateral curtailment of licenses without compensation if agreement was not reached. All operating nuclear plants have unlimited licences with strong legal guarantees.

In June 2000, a compromise was announced which saved face for the government and secured the uninterrupted operation of the nuclear plants for many years ahead. The agreement, while limiting plant lifetime to some degree, averted the risk of any enforced plant closures during the term of the present government.

In particular, the agreement put a cap of 2623 billion kWh on lifetime production by all 19 operating reactors, equivalent to an average lifetime of 32 years (less than the 35 years sought by industry).

In June 2001, the leaders of the Red-Green coalition government and the four main energy companies signed an agreement to give effect to this 2000 compromise. The companies' undertaking to limit the operational lives of the reactors to an average of 32 years meant that two of the least economic ones - Stade and Obrigheim - were shut down in 2003 and 2005 respectively.