The shutdown of the second reactor of the nuclear power plant of Fessenheim began at 16: 30, with a few hours ahead of the schedule initially announced, announced on Monday that EDF Agence France-Presse. The beginning of this procedure was originally planned for 23: 30, for a disconnection from the national electricity network in the vicinity of 2 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday. This second reactor will eventually slow down gradually to be unplugged to 23: 30. The first reactor, Fessenheim had been arrested on 22 February.

The power of the pressurized water reactor (technology team, the 56 remaining reactors of the French stock) of 900 megawatts will bend gently until it reaches 8 % of its capacity, normally at around 23: 30, the plant then being permanently disconnected from the electricity network. “And that’s it. The down load starts… What a pain ! It is inhuman what is happening, ” tweeted the antenna CGT of the plant. Installed at the edge of the Rhine, close to Germany and Switzerland, the oldest central France book, and its last watt, the final destination after years of turmoil, debates and reports of his arrest.

“A step, not a culmination”

“Finally, on 58 nuclear reactors, there’s one that’s firm,” rejoiced Jean-Marie Brom, the association Stop Transports-Halte to nuclear power, during a press conference of associations of antinuclear aboard a ship sailing on the Rhine, at the border between France and Germany. A ” symbol of franco-German friendship in the fight against nuclear power plants “, according to Andre Hatz, president of Stop Fessenheim. The activists anti-nuclear French and germans made plans to get together in the late afternoon on a bridge overlooking the Rhine, but did not intend to go at Fessenheim the same, a few kilometers from there, in order ” not to make a provocation “.

The member of the european parliament ecologist Michèle Rivasi welcomed ” a step, but not an outcome “, the timing of closure of other reactors has not yet been fixed. At Vieux-Brisach, the German side of the Rhine, twenty activists were waiting for the boat with flags, yellow and red ” Atomkraft ? Nein danke ” (” nuclear energy ? no thank you “). For ten years every Monday night, Cilla, educator retired 73-year-old, and Gisela, 77 years old, had been demonstrating in the centre of Vieux-Brisach to demand the closure of this plant, “the oldest in France” and who ” always had problems “. “We are happy that it is finally extinguished,” says Cilla. But ” the danger is still there “, points out Gisela, the antinuclear fearing the conditions of storage of the nuclear fuel expected to be on the site of Fessenheim for at least three years.

also Read the Output of nuclear power : where are the Germans ?

The dismantling of the central promises to be long : fifteen years are expected to disassemble the two reactors, starting with the evacuation of the fuel highly radioactive slated for completion in 2023. The dismantling itself, which is unique in France at this scale, is expected to begin in 2025 and continue at least until 2040. Victory for the anti-nuclear French, the germans and the swiss, some of whom have campaigned for decades against Fessenheim, this closure raises on the contrary the anger of the employees of the central and most of the 2,500 inhabitants of the village of the same name. Only sixty EDF employees will remain to lead to its dismantling to 2024. By the end of 2017, they were still 750, to which was added 300 providers.

air Hole economic

As for the inhabitants of this village, was once a modest, they have lived for decades, thanks to significant economic and tax impacts of the installation and are afraid of a large air hole economic : no project is officially stopped for the after-Fessenheim. Shut down the plant, as it ” is in good running condition and has passed all the safety tests “, is ” absurd and incomprehensible “, is bugging the mayor Claude Brender.

campaign Promise of François Holland in 2012, this closure was postponed repeatedly, before being recorded in April 2017. Like a wink of fate : on Friday morning, reactor no. 2 suffered an automatic shutdown after a lightning strike on high voltage power lines close to the central. It has restarted without a problem on Saturday and will once again be off on Monday evening, three days later. This time, for always.

Read also Fessenheim : “What we will miss most is the noise of the engine room”

writing will advise you

Hours and misfortunes of the French nuclear – history shifts to Fessenheim

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR