And then there were seven – at the end of 2017, Gundremmingen B will close for good as a part of the country’s nuclear phaseout. But before it closes, it contributed to a new world record ramp. Craig Morris explains. France has 58 reactors in 19 locations. At present, Germans has 8 reactors in seven locations. But in a few weeks, Gundremmingen B will go cold, leaving no German nuclear plants with more than one operational reactor. As its name suggests, Gundremmingen B was the second reactor built on that site. Originally proposed in the 1950s for a location near Nuremberg, the site was moved to village of Gundremmingen (map) when Nurembergers expressed concern about the possible impact on drinking water; public awareness of radioactivity came much later, probably in the late 1970s. Locals in and around Gundremmingen also opposed the plant, but were small enough in number to be paid off. Block A, a small (273 MW) demonstration reactor, was finished in 1966. Construction of blocks B and C began in 1976; both went … Continue reading Germany shuts down next nuclear plant