AVR Juelich
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR Juelich | HTGR | Pebble bed reactor prototype | 13 | 1961-08-01 | 1967-12-17 | 1969-05-19 | 1988-12-31 | Permanent Shutdown |
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
| Unit | Design MWe | Gross MWe | Thermal MWt | First Criticality | Reactor Supplier | Turbine Supplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR Juelich | 13 | 15 | 46 | 1966-08-16 | BROWN BOVERI-KRUPP REAKTORBAU GMBH | BROWN BOVERI ET CIE | Decommissioning from 1994-03-09 |
Lifetime performance, through 2025
| Unit | Electricity Supplied | Load Factor | Energy Availability | Operating Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR Juelich | 1.5 TWh | 62.0% | 62.8% | 65.9% |
Operator: ARBEITSGEMEINSCHAFT VERSUCHSREAKTOR GMBH
Owner: ARBEITSGEMEINSCHAFT VERSUCHSREAKTOR GMBH
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-10-19.
Research Reactors
Research and test reactors, critical assemblies and prototypes at this site, as listed in the IAEA Research Reactor Database: type, thermal power, first criticality, shutdown date, current status and what each is used for.
5 reactors: 4 decommissioned, 1 under decommissioning.
| Reactor | Type | Thermal Power | First Criticality | Shutdown | Status | Used For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRJ-1 (MERLIN) | Pool | 10 MWt | 1962-02-24 | 1985-03-22 | Decommissioned | |
| FRJ-2 (DIDO) | Heavy Water | 23 MWt | 1962-11-14 | 2006-05-02 | Under decommissioning | isotope production, neutron scattering, activation analysis, training |
| ADIBKA (L77A) | Homog (l) | 100 Wt | 1967-03-18 | 1973-12-01 | Decommissioned | |
| KEITER | Crit Assembly | 1 Wt | 1971-06-15 | 1982-06-01 | Decommissioned | |
| KAHTER | Crit Assembly | 100 Wt | 1973-07-02 | 1984-02-03 | Decommissioned |
Source: IAEA Research Reactor Database (RRDB), as of 2026-10-13.
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.
1 facility: 1 decommissioned.
| Facility | Type | Scale | Design Capacity | Operated | Status | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JUPITER Research Centre Julich | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 0.002 t HM/year | 1978–1987 | Decommissioned |
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.
Photos
Photos of this facility from the NukeWorker photo gallery. Click the header or any photo to browse the full album.
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.
50.9035, 6.42099
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: Wikipedia: AVR reactor.
AVR Jülich is a small experimental nuclear power reactor at Jülich in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Read more
The company AVR GmbH was founded in 1959 by municipal electric utilities to test a gas-cooled, graphite-moderated high-temperature reactor. It was a pebble-bed design of about 15 MWe, based on ideas of Rudolf Schulten, and was built by BBC and Krupp in the early 1960s. It reached first criticality in 1966 and was connected to the grid on 17 December 1967. In 1974 the coolant outlet temperature was raised to 950 degrees C. A water ingress accident occurred in 1978. The reactor was shut down permanently on 31 December 1988.