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Jellyfish swarm forces shutdown of French nuclear reactors
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Energy & Infrastructure

Jellyfish swarm forces shutdown of French nuclear reactors

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Two reactors at France's Gravelines nuclear power plant were shut down due to a large jellyfish swarm.
  • The jellyfish entered the plant's seawater pumping station filters.
  • This is not the first time jellyfish have caused operational disruptions at the plant.

A significant jellyfish bloom has forced the precautionary shutdown of two reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France. The incident, which began Wednesday evening, involved over 200 metric tons of jellyfish entering the facility's seawater pumping station.

More than 200 metric tons of jellyfish appeared since Wednesday evening.

โ€” EDF spokespersonDescribing the scale of the jellyfish influx.

EDF, the French nuclear operator, stated that the jellyfish were detected in the filter systems of the seawater intake. As a safety measure, two of the plant's six reactors were completely taken offline. Two additional reactors are currently operating at reduced capacity, while the remaining two are undergoing scheduled maintenance. This means no reactor is currently operating at full power.

Two of the six reactors were completely shut down as a precautionary measure to ensure the situation has no impact on the safety of the facilities.

โ€” EDF spokespersonExplaining the immediate response to the jellyfish swarm.

This is not the first time jellyfish have disrupted operations at the Gravelines plant. Similar incidents occurred in mid-August of the previous year. In response to such events, the plant has implemented monitoring systems designed for early detection and management of large jellyfish aggregations.

It is currently impossible to say what the causes of this phenomenon are.

โ€” EDF spokespersonAddressing the unknown reasons behind the large jellyfish aggregation.

EDF has deployed seven boats to continuously collect jellyfish near the plant, relocating them further out to sea. The exact causes of this latest massive influx remain unclear, and the plant is collaborating with various partners to better understand the phenomenon. EDF assured that the incident poses no risk to the electrical grid.

The incident has not caused any danger to the electrical grid.

โ€” EDF spokespersonReassuring the public about the safety of the power supply.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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