France shuts Down First Reactor Of Fessenheim Nuclear Plant Near German Border

French energy company EDF has confirmed that it
has turned off one reactor of its oldest nuclear power plant. The plant,
located directly on the border to Germany, has drawn frequent protests in
recent years.

EDF SA, a French energy company, said that it had completed the
shutdown of one reactor at its oldest nuclear power plant in Fessenheim near
the border of Germany. The nuclear power plant’s second and last reactor will
be shut down on June 30.

The company told media outlets that the 900 megawatt reactor’s
shutdown began at 8:30 pm on Friday and ended in the small hours of
Saturday.

The shutdown was completed normally, but it was an
emotional moment for those in the control room, according to EDF. Around 100
people, including employees, reportedly protested against the shutdown.

German and Swiss officials have long demanded that French
energy officials close the aging Fessenheim nuclear power plant, which is
located on the border of France near Germany and Switzerland, near Freiburg in
southwestern Germany.

“The time has finally come,” said German Environment
Minister Svenja Schulze on Friday in Berlin, adding that shutting down
Fessenheim would make Germany “safer.”