KNK
Reactor Data
Reactor Units
Every power reactor at this site as listed in the IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS): reactor type and model, net electrical capacity, grid connection and commercial operation dates, and current status.
1 unit: 1 permanent shutdown.
| Unit | Type | Model | Net MWe | Construction | Grid | Commercial Op | Shutdown | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KNK II | FBR | Prototype | 17 | 1974-09-01 | 1978-04-09 | 1979-03-03 | 1991-08-23 | Permanent Shutdown |
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
| Unit | Design MWe | Gross MWe | Thermal MWt | First Criticality | Reactor Supplier | Turbine Supplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KNK II | 18 | 21 | 58 | 1977-10-10 | INTERATOM INTERNATIONALE ATOMREAKTORBAU GMBH | ALLGEMEINE ELEKTRICITAETS-GESELLSCHAFT | Decommissioning from 1993-08-26 |
Lifetime performance, through 2025
| Unit | Electricity Supplied | Load Factor | Energy Availability | Operating Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KNK II | 0.3 TWh | 16.8% | 20.8% | 26.4% |
Operator: KERNKRAFTWERK-BETRIEBSGESELLSCHAFT MBH
Owner: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe -KfK)
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-10-14.
Fuel Cycle Facilities
Fuel cycle plants at this site, as listed in the IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database: what each plant does, its scale and design capacity, the years it operated, its current status and who operates it.
6 facilities: 5 decommissioned, 1 decommissioning.
| Facility | Type | Scale | Design Capacity | Operated | Status | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALKEM Fuel Fabrication Plant | Fuel Fabrication (U Pellet, Pin, FA) | Pilot plant | 8 t HM/year | 1965–1972 | Decommissioned | Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (FZK) |
| MILLI Reprocessing Test Facility | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 0.2 t HM/year | 1970–1991 | Decommissioned | Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (FZK) |
| Karlsruhe Reprocessing Plant | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 35 t HM/year | 1971–1991 | Decommissioning | WAK GmbH |
| Reproccesing Plant Karlsruhe (pool for storage of spent fuel assemblies) | AFR Wet Spent Fuel Storage (Pool) | Pilot plant | 55 t HM | 1971–1991 | Decommissioned | WAK GmbH |
| Plutonium Test Extraction Facility | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 1980–1991 | Decommissioned | Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (FZK) | |
| Karlsruhe Enrichment, Research Centre Karlsruhe, Institute for Nuclear Process Engineering | Uranium Enrichment | Pilot plant | 50 MTSWU/year | Decommissioned | Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (FZK) |
Source: IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database (NFCFDB), as of 2026-10-13.
Working Here
Per Diem Rates FY 2026
Per diem covers lodging and meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) for government and contractor travel near this facility. Rates are from the U.S. State Department foreign per diem tables for FY 2026.
$237
Lodging/Night
$140
M&IE/Day
$377
Total/Day
Germany: rate for locations the State Department does not list separately
U.S. Department of State foreign per diem, for U.S. government and contractor travel.
Facility Map
Interactive satellite map showing the facility's geographic location. Marker color indicates current status: green for online, red for offline, orange for reduced power. Click the header to open in Google Maps satellite view.
49.0975, 8.441
Location & Contact
Physical address, phone number, and website for this facility. Use the directions link to get driving directions via Google Maps.
Plant Facts
About This Site
Written by NukeWorker from public records: facts that do not change. Operator, status and capacity come from the live data elsewhere on this page. Sources: Euronuclear: KNK II; IAEA INIS: Decommissioning of the compact sodium-cooled nuclear reactor facility (KNK).
KNK was a sodium-cooled experimental nuclear power plant at the Karlsruhe nuclear research center site in Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name stands for Kompakte Natriumgekühlte Kernreaktoranlage (compact sodium-cooled nuclear reactor facility).
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It ran first as KNK I with a thermal core, from 1971 to 1974, and was then converted into the fast-neutron plant KNK II. The commissioning of KNK II began in October 1977, and the plant was connected to the grid on 9 April 1978. It had an electric output of about 20 MW. KNK II was shut down permanently on 23 August 1991, after the political end of the SNR 300 fast breeder project at Kalkar. Decommissioning began in 1993.