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🇧🇪 Belgium /Energy & Infrastructure

Jellyfish swarm forces partial shutdown of French nuclear plant

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Three reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France have been partially shut down due to a massive influx of jellyfish in the cooling water system.
  • Only one of the plant's six reactors is currently operating at full capacity, with another running at 50 percent, while the rest are offline.
  • This incident, compounded by existing issues from drought and heatwaves, has led to reduced electricity production and potential financial losses for the operator, EDF.

A significant jellyfish infestation has forced the partial shutdown of three reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France, Europe's largest. The massive influx of marine life into the seawater intake systems has disrupted operations, leaving only one of the plant's six reactors running at full capacity.

Reactors 2, 3, and 4 were shut down due to the jellyfish, while reactor 1's output has been reduced to 50 percent. Reactor 5 was already offline for maintenance. French nuclear technology expert Emmanuelle Galichet stated that the shutdowns pose no safety risk to the facility, personnel, or the environment. However, the reduced output will impact electricity supply to numerous families and businesses in France and Europe.

The shutdowns have no consequences for the safety of the installations, the personnel or the environment.

— EDFAssessing the safety implications of the reactor shutdowns.

This jellyfish problem exacerbates existing challenges faced by French nuclear power plants this summer, including disruptions caused by drought and heatwaves, which have already led to a record number of hours offline. EDF, the plant operator, faces potential substantial financial losses, with Galichet estimating a net loss of 1 million euros for each reactor that is offline for a day.

The Gravelines nuclear power plant produces electricity for a large number of families and businesses in France and Europe.

— Emmanuelle GalichetHighlighting the importance of the plant's electricity output.

EDF plans to restart the affected reactors sequentially, with all expected to be back at full power by Friday. This is not an isolated incident; the Gravelines plant experienced a similar issue exactly one year ago, requiring several days to bring all reactors back online. Nuclear facilities in Japan, Scotland, Sweden, and California have also faced similar jellyfish-related disruptions in the past.

Experts attribute the increasing frequency of large jellyfish blooms globally to rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change. Warmer waters not only attract more jellyfish but may also contribute to the proliferation of algae, which can also pose a threat to the operation of nuclear power plants.

One reactor that is offline for one day means a net loss of 1 million euros.

— Emmanuelle GalichetEstimating the financial impact of reactor downtime on EDF.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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