France Authorizes Full Dismantling of Fessenheim Nuclear Plant

Overview

• The government, in a decree published Sunday in the Journal officiel, cleared EDF to dismantle the entire former site, following a favorable January 29 opinion from the nuclear safety regulator.
• The authorization covers both the reactor buildings and the conventional units, including the pumping station, storage halls for used steam generators and sludge, and effluent tanks.
• The work will proceed in four stages: dismantling, decontamination of structures and soil, demolition of buildings to at least one meter deep, then site rehabilitation.
• The decree sets a June 30, 2048 completion deadline and requires monitoring of gaseous, liquid, and radioactive releases, with extra checks during draining of reactor and fuel pools.
• EDF also proposes a nearby plant to recycle low-level radioactive metals, targeted for 2031 and using annex buildings, a plan that has revived local concern over health and future use of the area.