A nuclear power plant in northern France shut down three reactors after a swarm of jellyfish clogged the cooling system pumps. The energy group EDF reported this on Tuesday.
On Monday, three reactors were taken out of service, and the power of a fourth was reduced by half. According to EDF, only one reactor continues to operate at full capacity. The sixth reactor was already undergoing scheduled maintenance.
“This situation does not affect the safety of the facilities, personnel, or the environment,” EDF stated.
Previous incidents and global trends
This year, France has already experienced disruptions in nuclear power production due to numerous heat waves and droughts. In particular, EDF shut down several reactors in June and July due to extreme heat. On Sunday, even before the latest shutdowns, the shortfall in nuclear power production in France was 15.6%. Agence France-Presse provided these figures based on calculations made from EDF data published since 2015.
The Gravelines nuclear power plant, located near the northern city of Dunkirk, is the largest in Western Europe. It has six reactors with a capacity of 900 megawatts each. A year ago, this nuclear power plant was also temporarily shut down after jellyfish clogged its seawater intake pumps.
Swarming jellyfish have also forced the shutdown of nuclear power plants in other countries. In particular, in Sweden in 2013, one such shutdown lasted three days, and in Japan in 1999, a similar incident caused a significant drop in production. Experts note that overfishing, plastic pollution, and warming seas due to climate change create favorable conditions for the reproduction and spread of jellyfish.
Source: South China Morning Post
