Germany: AREVA finished decontamination of the reactor pressure vessel of Isar 1 nuclear power plant

AREVA has successfully decontaminated the reactor pressure vessel, the auxiliary systems and the internals at Isar 1 nuclear power plant, operated by the German utility E.ON. This has reduced the level of radioactivity level by more than 95 percent. The decontamination process is an important phase before dismantling a nuclear power plant.

AREVA applied its decontamination process CORD UV^® in combination with its decontamination system AMDA^®. This operation is based on the progressive injection of chemical products into the reactor’s primary circuit. Once the process is completed, the chemical substances used are decomposed into carbon dioxide and water, leaving behind no additional waste.

“AREVA’s decontamination technology has been used reliably in over 30 nuclear facilities worldwide, notably in Germany, Spain, France, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States. The completion of the work at Isar 1, a boiling water reactor, confirms our ability to perform these operations on all types of nuclear power plants,” said Philippe Samama, Senior Executive Vice President of AREVA’s Reactors and Services Business Group.