Construction of the Grafenrheinfeld NPP in the southern state of Bavaria began in 1975 with the plant beginning commercial operations in 1982. It was Germany's oldest nuclear power plant but was closed in 2015 as part of the government's policy to transition away from nuclear power.
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00:00Germany's decommissioned nuclear power plant at Grafen Rheinfeldt has been demolished after
00:07a short delay.
00:08The demolition of the plant's two cooling towers was pushed back by almost two hours
00:13after a pro-atomic energy activist scaled a pylon and protested its destruction.
00:19Grafen Rheinfeldt began commercial operations in 1982 and was Germany's oldest nuclear power
00:25plant.
00:26But as part of the government's policy to transition away from nuclear power, it was
00:30closed in 2015.
00:32Under its Energiewende strategy, Germany is aiming to have around 80 percent of its electricity
00:37supplied from renewable sources by 2050.
00:41In the time that Grafen Rheinfeldt was operational, it provided over 11 percent of Bavaria's energy,
00:47according to the German utility company E.ON.
00:50The 55,000 tons of concrete rubble produced by the demolition will be used to fill the
00:55two collecting basins below the towers.