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Thorium nuclear reactor in Germany

The THTR 300 was a thorium cycle high temperature nuclear reactor rated at 300 MW electric (THTR 300) in Hamm Uentrop, Germany. It started operating in 1983, synchronized with the grid in 1985, operated at full power in February 1987 and was shut down September 1, 1989. The THTR 300 served as a prototype high temperature reactor (HTR) to use the TRISO pebble fuel produced by the AVR, an experimental pebble bed operated by VEW (Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke Westfalen). The THTR 300 cost €2.05 billion and was predicted to cost an additional €425 million through December 2009 in decommissioning and other associated costs. The German state of North Rhine Westphalia, Federal Republic of Germany, and Hochtemperatur Kernkraftwerk GmbH (HKG) financed the THTR 300’s construction.

On 4 June 1974, the Council of the European Communities established the Joint Undertaking "Hochtemperatur Kernkraftwerk GmbH" (HKG). The electrical generation part of the THTR 300 was finished late due to ever newer requirements and licensing procedures. It was constructed in Hamm Uentrop from 1970 to 1983 by Hochtemperatur Kernkraftwerk GmbH (HKG). Because the operator did not expect the decision to decommission the facility, the plant was put into "safe enclosure" status, given that this was the only technical solution for fast decommissioning, especially in consideration of the lack of a final storage facility. From 1985 to 1989, the THTR 300 registered 16,410 operation hours and generated 2,891,000 MWh. 80 incidents were logged during its 423 full load operating day lifetime.

On September 1, 1989, the THTR 300 was deactivated due to cost and the anti nuclear sentiments after Chernobyl. In August 1989, the THTR company was almost bankrupted after a long period of shut down due to broken components in the hot gas duct. The German government bailed the company out with 92 million Mark. THTR 300 was in full service for 423 days. On October 10, 1991, the dry cooling tower, which at one time was the highest cooling tower in the world, was explosively dismantled and from October 22, 1993 to April 1995 the remaining fuel was unloaded and transported to the intermediate storage in Ahaus. The remaining facility was "safely enclosed". Dismantling is not expected to start before 2027. From 2013 to 2017, 23 Million Euro were budgeted for lighting, safeguarding and the storage of the pellets in the interim storage facility in Ahaus. As was determined in 1989, dismantling would begin after approximately 30 years in safe enclosure.

By 1992, a group of firms planned to proceed with construction of a HTR 500, the successor of the THTR 300, but up rated to a thermal output of 1250 megawatts and an electrical output of 500 megawatts. However nothing is currently in any stage of development.