The Fessenheim nuclear power plant near the Swiss border is the oldest nuclear power plant in France.Image: EPA
May 3, 2026, 3:22 p.mMay 3, 2026, 3:22 p.m
The French government has approved the dismantling of the decommissioned Fessenheim nuclear power plant near the Swiss border. The decree allowing the electricity company EDF to dismantle the building was published in the Official Journal. EDF wants to begin dismantling as soon as possible, which will take place in four stages. According to the group, the preparatory work for the dismantling has largely been completed.
The power plant was shut down in 2020 after 42 years of operation. Opponents of nuclear power had been calling for the shutdown of the reactor in Alsace for years. The removal of all fuel elements from the power plant was completed in September 2022.
Steam generators are dismantled
The most important work in the first year of dismantling included the dismantling of the three steam generators of reactor No. 1 and the removal of the racks on which the spent fuel was stored after it passed through the reactor core, EDF said. This work symbolized the site’s concrete entry into a new phase of its transformation.
The French electricity company wants to build a smelting plant for slightly radioactive scrap at the nuclear site on a previously unused area from 2027. According to the plans, potentially 500,000 tons of metals from all over France can be recycled, such as steam generators from domestic nuclear power plants. EDF promises 200 jobs in the so-called Technocentre. Scrap recycling is scheduled to go into operation in 2031, and around 450 million euros are expected to be spent on the project.
France plans to build new nuclear power plants
Despite the closure of Fessenheim, France wants to push ahead with the expansion of nuclear energy. The new energy supply strategy for the country presented in February envisages the construction of six new nuclear power plants from 2038 as well as the option to build eight more nuclear power plants. In order to keep all 57 existing nuclear power plants online, the term is being extended to 50 or 60 years. The decommissioning of older nuclear reactors, which was still planned in the previous multi-year plan, is now off the table. (sda/dpa)