The use of nuclear power in Baden-Wurttemberg

In June 2000, the federal government and the electricity utilities agreed on boundary conditions for the limited continued operation of existing German nuclear power plants in the conflict about terminating the commercial use of nuclear power. On the basis of a cumulated operating life of 32 years per plant, the nineteen nuclear power plants at present in operation are allowed to generate 2623.3 terawalthours of electricity until they are decommissioned. As five of the nineteen German nuclear power plants are located on three sites in Baden-Wurttemberg, i.e. Obrigheim (KWO), Philippsburg (KKP I and KKP II), and Neckarwestheim (GKN I and GKN II), electricity generation and supply in this state are particularly dependent on nuclear power and are greatly affected by the compromise. Both the oldest German nuclear power plant (Obrigheim, commissioned in the autumn of 1968) and the youngest (Neckarwestheim II, commissioned in the spring of 1989) are located in Baden-Wurttemberg. This means that electricity from nuclear power will be produced in Baden-Wurttemberg probably longer than in any other German federal state.