Decommissioning and dismantling of German nuclear power plants owned jointly by E.ON, one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility service providers, and Vattenfall, a Swedish power company, will be handled through a long-term cooperation agreement, reports World Nuclear News.

Krummel nuclear plant. Source: Vattenfall, Image credit: Timo JannUnder the agreement, Vattenfall and E.ON will develop and implement concepts for dismantling large components, as well as logistics, waste treatment and disposal. The companies say the transfer of experts has already begun.

Following the Fukushima accident in Japan in March 2011, the German government announced the withdrawal of the operating licenses of eight German nuclear power reactors that started operation during or before 1980. These included E.ON's Isar 1 and Unterweser units, as well as the Brunsbüttel plant (33.3% owned by E.ON and 66.7% by Vattenfall) and the Krümmel plant (in which they each hold a 50% interest).

E.ON owns or has stakes in four reactors still operating in Germany: Grafenrheinfeld, Grohnde, Brokdorf and Isar 2. Vattenfall retains a 20% stake in the Brokdorf plant. However, under Germany's phase-out plan, all these units are now scheduled to shut down by 2022, starting with Grafenrheinfeld, which is set to close by the end of this year.

The 640 MWe Stade pressurized water reactor in Lower Saxony—one of Germany's first commercial nuclear power plants—began operating in 1972 but was shut down in November 2003 for economic reasons. It is currently undergoing decommissioning.