Emergency preparedness In off-site emergency management a distinction is made between short-term, medium-term and long-term measures. Short-term measures include, in particular, disaster control measures aimed at immediate emergency response. Its main objectives include: to prevent the deterministic effects of acute high doses of ionising radiation and to reduce the risk of stochastic effects. A deterministic effect is damage incurred over a short time period through the exposure of tissues and organs to ionising radiation, resulting in characteristic clinical symptoms. Deterministic effects occur above a specific dose threshold. Absorbed dose Effects on the human body > 100 mGy Organs such as the gonads (testes, ovaries) and bone marrow display initial functional limitations. The human foetus may develop deformities. > 1000 mGy Human organs and tissues display clinically relevant changes. Acute radiation syndrome occurs as a severe deterministic effect following brief whole body irradiation or partial exposure of much of the body. With stochastic effects of ionising radiation, there is an increased probability that cancer or leukaemia, for example, will occur over time (years or decades later). According to current scientific knowledge, there is no threshold dose below which it is relatively certain that an adverse stochastic effect cannot occur. The probability of the effects increases with dose, but the severity of the effects is independent of the absorbed dose. Medium-term and long-term measures include all the measures taken to minimise stochastic effects i.e. to keep the risks to the public below the intervention reference levels for disaster control. They include measures which follow on, spatially or temporally, from short-term disaster control measures in the vicinity of a facility where an accident has occurred. An example of this would be setting maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination in food. Short-term, medium-term and long-term measures supplement one another and need to be coordinated. External information for emergency response BMUKN: Information page on emergency response in Germany (in German) GRS: Information page on the emergency center SSK: Consultation results of the Radiation Protection Commission on the subject of emergency response BMUKN: Information page on the measure Jodblockade of the BMUKN BfS: Information page on nuclear emergency response BfS: Information page on Nuclear Specific Security (NGA) Further information Atoms and radioactivity Nuclear fission Ionising radiation Principles of radiation protection
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Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant (KKB) © Marc-André Aßbrock , AKW Brunsbüttel 2014-1 , cropped by BMUKN, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Summary Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant in Schleswig-Holstein is operated by Kernkraftwerk Brunsbüttel GmbH & Co. oHG. Commercial operation began on 9 February 1977. Authorisation for power operation in accordance with the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) expired on 6 August 2011. Details General information Site Brunsbüttel Federal state Schleswig-Holstein Type (construction line) Boiling water reactor (construction line 69) Current operator Kernkraftwerk Brunsbüttel GmbH & Co. oHG Manufacturer Kraftwerk Union AG Owner Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH (66,6%) E.ON Kernkraft GmbH (33,3%) Operational data Application date 10 November 1969 Start of construction 2 April 1970 First criticality 23 June 1976 First grid synchronisation 13 July 1976 Start of commercial operation 9 February 1977 Expiry of authorisation for power operations in accordance with the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) 6 August 2011 Technical data Thermal reactor power 2292 MW Gross electric capacity 806 MW Net electric capacity 771 MW Number of reactor coolant pumps 8 axial recirculation pumps Number of fuel elements 532, according to type; no fuel elements in the reactor pressure vessel any more Weight of fuel elements in reactor core approx. 280 kg to 300 kg, according to type Number of fuel rods per fuel element 10x10 fuel rod assembly, according to type Composition of the nuclear fuel Uranium dioxide with an average fuel element enrichment of 3.8 - 4.1% U-235 Number of control elements 129 Type of cooling system River water cooling Authority Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature Schleswig-Holstein Mercatorstraße 3 24106 Kiel External links to documentation Information at the Environment Ministry Schleswig-Holstein Additional information (in German) Reportable events (in German) Current remote monitoring data (in German) Further information back to overview map
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Unit B Gundremmingen nuclear power plant © Alois Wüst , Gundremmingen KKW August 2011 , cropped by BMUKN, CC BY-SA 3.0 Summary Unit B Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in Bavaria is operated by Kernkraftwerk Gundremmingen GmbH. Commercial operation began in 1984. Authorisation for power operation in accordance with the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) expired on 31 December 2017. Details General information Site Gundremmingen Federal state Bavaria Type (construction line) Boiling water reactor (construction line 72) Current operator Kernkraftwerk Gundremmingen GmbH Manufacturer KWU Owner PreussenElektra GmbH, RWE Nuclear GmbH Operational data Application date 15 March1974 Start of construction 20 July 1976 First criticality 9 March 1984 First grid synchronisation 16 March 1984 Start of commercial operation 19 July 1984 Expiry of authorisation for power operation in accordance with the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) 31 December 2017 Shutdown data 31 December 2017 Technical data Thermal reactor power 3,840 MW Gross electric capacity 1,344 MW Net electric capacity 1,284 MW Number of reactor coolant pumps 8 axial recirculation pumps Number and mass of fuel elements 784, total fuel mass excluding structural material approx. 136 t Number of fuel rods per fuel element 10x10 fuel rod configuration Composition of the nuclear fuel UO2/PuO2 (uranium dioxide, uranium-plutonium MOX) Number of control elements 193 Type of cooling system Water cooling tower Authority Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection Department 8 Rosenkavalierplatz 2 81925 Munich External links to documentation Information at the Bavarian Environment State Ministry, at the Bavarian Environment Agency and at the Federal Office for Radiation Protection Environment Agency: Emission of radioactive substances (annual data) (in German) Federal Office for Radiation Protection: Emission of radioactive substances (annual data) Reportable events (in German) Current remote monitoring data (in German) Further information back to the overview map
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Neckarwestheim GKN I nuclear power plant Summary Neckarwestheim GKN I nuclear power plant in Neckerwestheim, Baden-Württemberg, currently in the phase of dismantling, is operated by EnBW Kernkraft GmbH. Commercial operation began on 1 December 1976. Authorisation for power operation in accordance with the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) expired on 6 August 2011. EnBW Kernkraft GmbH had filed application for decommissioning and dismantling licence on 24 April 2013. The Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector as the competent nuclear authority in Baden-Württemberg granted the licence according to section 7 (3) AtG on 3 February 2017. Details General information Site Neckarwestheim Federal state Baden-Württemberg Type (construction line) Pressurised water reactor operator Current operator EnBW Kernkraft GmbH Manufacturer KWU Owner EnBW AG Operational data Application date 2 April 1971 Start of construction 1 February 1972 First criticality 26 May 1976 First grid synchronisation 3 June 1976 Start of commercial operation 1 December 1976 Shutdown date 16 March 2011 Expiry of authorisation for power operation in accordance with German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) 6 August 2011 First decommissioning and dismantling licence 3 February 2017 Technical data Thermal reactor power 2,497 MW Gross electric capacity 840 MW Net electric capacity 785 MW Number of reactor coolant pumps 3 All fuel removed from plant No Number of control elements 45 Type of cooling system Direct river cooling or cell cooling towers Authority Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector of Baden-Württemberg Kernerplatz 9 70182 Stuttgart External links to documentation Information at the Environment Ministry of Baden-Württemberg and at the State Institution for the Environment Baden-Württemberg Emission of radioactive substances (annual data) (in German) Authorisation documents (in German) Reportable events (in German) Current remote monitoring data (in German) Further information back to the overview map
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Regulatory frameworks The provisions of the Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG) on an emergency management system of the federal government and Länder entered into force on 1 October 2017. One significant reform in the field of emergency preparedness concerns the emergency response plans to be coordinated between the federal government and the Länder (sections 97– 101 StrlSchG). These plans must put all organisations involved in responding to an emergency in a position to take immediate coordinated decisions in cases of potential emergencies and to take appropriate measures to protect the population in a timely manner. In Germany, the civil protection strategy for nuclear emergencies is based on the Basic Radiological Principles for Decisions on Measures for the Protection of the Population against Accidental Releases of Radionuclides and the Basic Recommendations for Emergency Preparedness in the Vicinity of Nuclear Installations. Prepared by the federal and Länder authorities, these documents describe in detail how, when and where the appropriate measures are to be taken. In accordance with section 97 (5) StrlSchG, these documents, along with others, shall be used as provisional emergency response plans until the federal emergency response plan has been adopted. Atoms and radioactivity Nuclear fission Ionising radiation Principles of radiation protection
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Reports under the Nuclear Safety Directive (Euratom) Reports under the Nuclear Safety Directive Report on the implementation of Directive 2009/71/Euratom (Report under Article 9 (1) of Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations) Download: First Report on the implementation of Directive 2009/71/Euratom (PDF, 502 KB, German) Second Report on the implementation of Directive 2009/71/Euratom (PDF, 978 KB, German) Reports under the Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive Report on the implementation of Directive 2011/70/Euratom (Report under Article 14(1) of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste) Download: First report on the implementation of Directive 2011/70 / Euratom (PDF accessible, 1,6 MB, German)
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Preparing for an emergency Details of specific emergency response plans for areas in the immediate vicinity of nuclear power plants (for example assembly points, evacuation routes, distribution centres for iodine tablets) are available from your emergency response authority and from the information brochures produced by the power plant operator. The Land interior ministries are the disaster control authorities at the highest tier of government. Read on to find out how you can protect yourself and those around you. Futher information Atoms and radioactivity Nuclear fission Ionising radiation Principles of radiation protection
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Contact Germany has a federal system, therefore in an emergency, the authorities and organisations at the various governmental levels cooperate to ensure that the public is adequately protected. If the emergency has occurred in Germany itself, this cooperation involves the facility operator as well. The Länder and federal authorities are responsible for planning off-site emergency measures. Depending on the federal state ( Land ) concerned, responsibility for emergency management lies with one or more government ministries in their capacity as specialised authorities. Key contact addresses are listed below. Authorities and organisations Federal authorities and other organisations Land authorities and other organisations
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German-Chinese cooperation of nuclear regulatory authorities The strategic environmental dialogue between Germany and China, which has taken place since 2006 and is based on a 1994 bilateral environmental agreement and a joint government declaration from 2000, was supplemented and expanded by the Joint Declaration of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China on the Sino-German Environmental Partnership in July 2010. One component of this agreement is cooperation and exchange in the area of nuclear safety with the aim of intensifying cooperation in the following areas in particular: the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (including other installations), radioactive waste management, measurement of radiation in the environment and technologies for monitoring nuclear installations and monitoring in case of emergencies. Initial bilateral expert meetings on these topics took place in November 2016 in Beijing and in 2017 in Berlin. World map with Germany and China in focus Key facts Year established 2016 Members (countries) Germany: Federal Environment Ministry (BMUKN) China: Ministry of Environmental Protection, National Nuclear Safety Administration (MEP, NNSA) Meetings By arrangement
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Bodies at European level EURATOM At European level, the use of nuclear energy by the 28 EU member states and their related obligations are governed by the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations (as amended by Council Directive 2014/87/Euratom) and Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste are particularly important. Directive 2013/59/ Euratom establishes basic European standards with the aim of further improving protection against occupational, public or medical exposure. ENSREG The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) was involved in drafting the first two directives. The members of this group, set up by a Commission decision in 2007, are high-ranking representatives of the nuclear industry licensing and supervisory bodies of all 28 EU member states and the European Commission. ENSREG’s task is to advise the Commission and facilitate coordination and cooperation between the competent national regulatory authorities. WENRA The Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) is another European body in this field. In contrast to ENSREG, WENRA is not an advisory body for the EU or Euratom but was established as a network of Western European regulators in 1999 for the specific purpose of assisting the Central and Eastern European countries to align to EU standards. One of WENRA’s primary responsibilities is to harmonise standards in relation to reactor safety, decommissioning and waste management. WENRA is a platform for the regulatory authorities in the 16 EU member states that operate or have operated nuclear power plants and Switzerland and Ukraine. HERCA In 2007, a further body – the Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA) – was established in order to improve cooperation in the field of radiation protection through the sharing of knowledge and experience. HERCA develops harmonised positions and regulatory proposals for possible incorporation into national law as a contribution to improving radiological protection at a high level in Europe. ENSRA In addition, the EU member states collaborate on matters of nuclear security. “Nuclear security” means the necessary protection against disruptive actions or other intervention by third parties for all nuclear facilities and installations, activities and transports. At present, this also includes acts of terrorism. In 2004, the European Nuclear Security Regulators Association (ENSRA) was established as a European platform for the confidential exchange of information in this sensitive area. ENSRA members are public authorities and associated corporations under public law with responsibility for nuclear security in European countries with civil nuclear programmes. At present, 14 EU member states and Switzerland are members of ENSRA.
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