The Brunsbuettel nuclear plant in northern Germany was reconnected to the power grid on Sunday after a short-circuit led it to be switched off on Thursday, according to DPA. Another nuclear plant in Kruemmel near Hamburg, which was shut down the same day after a fire broke out in a transformer near the reactor building, remained out of service while an investigation into the incident was under way. Approval to restart the Brunsbuettel facility was given on Saturday by Gitta Trauernicht, social affairs minister in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein where the plant is located. Both plants are operated by energy concern Vattenfall Europe. Regulators said no radioactivity was released but anti-nuclear figures and German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel charged that the incidents showed nuclear power was unsafe. German legislation requires all 17 existing nuclear plants to gradually be phased out by 2021.
