The smokestack of the Stade nuclear power plant collapsed: Germany is in the final phase of completely removing the first decommissioned reactor.

The recognizable profile of Stade nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony has gone into history after its 80-meter-tall chimney was demolished by a controlled explosion, announced by the company PreussenElektra, and reported by World Nuclear News. This facility, which since 1970 has been one of the most recognizable symbols of the plant, served to purify and continuously monitor the air during its operation.

The demolition, carried out by a specialized company as part of subcontracting works for Freimuth, was preceded by months of technical preparations and coordination with the competent authorities. The event was watched from a safe distance by about 100 guests.

“I am satisfied that the exhaust stack has been demolished safely and according to plan. My thanks go to the company Freimuth, which carried out the complete conventional demolition for us in an exceptionally professional manner,” said the plant manager Marko Albers (nuclear power plants have managers even during decommissioning).

After the demolition of the chimney, from the former complex on site only the steel sphere of the reactor's containment building (the containment), the administrative building and warehouses remained. According to the plan, the remaining containment structure will be removed by the end of this year, while the demolition of the reactor building itself began in March.

Road to full decommissioning by autumn 2027.

Comprehensive decommissioning is located on site, where conventional demolition of the supporting structures is carried out in several phases since 2023. During the first phase of removing the built-up space, 17 peripheral structures with a total volume of about 177,000 cubic meters were demolished – including the machine hall building, the control building, and the auxiliary diesel generators.

It is planned that the site will be officially released from nuclear regulatory supervision in autumn 2027. This will make Stade the first commercial nuclear power plant with a pressurized water reactor (PWR) in Germany to be completely dismantled and demolished to its foundations.

Behind this site also lies an important historical fact for German energy: Stade was the first nuclear power plant to be disconnected from the grid as part of the official German policy of phasing out nuclear energy (Atomausstieg).

The 640-megawatt reactor began operation in 1972, and officially ceased operation in November 2003 (operating at reduced capacity until the end of 2005 due to fuel depletion), when a multi-decade process of its dismantling and decontamination began.

S.A.