Grafenrheinfeld Nuclear Power Plant

The Grafenrheinfeld Nuclear Power Plant (German: Kernkraftwerk Grafenrheinfeld) is near Grafenrheinfeld, south of Schweinfurt at the river Main. Construction took place between 1974 and 1981 with construction costs of around 2.5 Billion DM. The reactor, a German third-generation pressurized water reactor with an electrical net power output of 1345 megawatts, achieved first criticality on December 9, 1981. E.ON in Hanover is the operator of the plant. The two 143m tall cooling towers are visible from far away. As with almost all other nuclear plants, temporary storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel are present on site. There is an information center at the power station.Under the phase out policy for nuclear power in Germany, the plant is scheduled to shut down on 31st of December 2015. Citing economical reasons, E.ON has declared to shut down the plant earlier, in spring 2015.In the mediaIn the anti-nuclear children's book Die Wolke (1987), the power plant undergoes a fictional meltdown.