A massive accumulation of jellyfish has again disrupted the operation of several reactor units at France’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) Gravelines. A spokeswoman for the French operator EDF told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that more than 200 tons of jellyfish had gathered in the area of the station since last night.
Two of the six reactor units were shut down as a precautionary measure to “ensure that this situation does not compromise the safety of our facilities.” According to EDF, jellyfish are massively accumulating in the area of the filtering systems of the marine pumping station.
Reactors not operating as planned
At present, none of the units are running in their normal mode. Two additional units are operating at reduced power because of the jellyfish buildup, while the remaining two are offline for a scheduled technical inspection.
Jellyfish have already disrupted the operation of the NPP in the middle of this month and in August of last year. To detect and combat massive accumulations of jellyfish, the Gravelines NPP has installed monitoring and detection systems, according to EDF.
Support in this is provided by the organization France Pêche Durable, explained the spokeswoman for EDF. Seven boats work around the clock in the area of the nuclear power plant to catch jellyfish and then release them further into the sea.
The causes of this phenomenon are currently unknown. EDF is working with various partners to better understand its causes. According to the spokeswoman, the situation does not pose a risk to the energy system.
Source: Der Spiegel
