A stress test ordered by the German government has shown that the country's nuclear energy suppliers are able to cover the costs of decommissioning their power plants and disposing of radioactive waste.

A consortium led by Westinghouse has been awarded a contract for dismantling the reactor pressure vessel and internals of unit 1 at the Philippsburg nuclear power plant in Germany. The unit shut down in 2011.

Vattenfall yesterday submitted an application to decommission and dismantle the Krümmel nuclear power plant in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Following a strategic environmental assessment and public consultation, the German cabinet yesterday adopted a draft national radioactive waste disposal program proposed by the country's environment ministry.

Germany's coalition government parties have agreed on measures to enable the country to meet its 2020 carbon emission targets while transitioning to renewable energy sources. As part of the deal, some coal-fuelled power plants will be shut down with others kept in reserve in case of energy shortages.

The single-unit Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant in Germany was disconnected from the grid on 27 June after 33 years of operation. The government had ordered the plant to close by the end of this year as part of the country's energy transition.

A proposal for the storage of waste generated from the reprocessing of German used nuclear fuel in France and the UK has been announced by the country's environment minister. The operators of Germany's nuclear power plants have welcomed the proposal.

The tax levied on nuclear fuel in Germany does not contravene European law. This was the conclusion of the European Court of Justice on 4 June. But what about German law and the consequences for nuclear power plant operators across Europe, asks Tobias Leidinger.

The nuclear expertise of Germany's Jülich Research Centre (Forschungszentrum Jülich) and the Experimental Reactor Consortium GmbH (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor, AVR) are to be combined into a new enterprise.

Germany's tax on nuclear fuel conforms to European Union laws, the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday.

EOn and Vattenfall have signed an agreement to cooperate in the decommissioning and dismantling of their jointly owned nuclear power plants in Germany.

Guidelines on the processing and storage of low- and intermediate-level waste in Germany are being implemented inconsistently, the independent commission which drew up the guidelines has told the country's environment ministry.