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Partial shutdown of units at France's Gravelines nuclear power plant due to jellyfish influx

French utility EDF announced on August 27 that the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France has taken emergency measures to shut down or reduce power output at some reactor units following a massive influx of jellyfish. An EDF spokesperson stated that since the night of August 26, more than 200 tonnes of jellyfish have accumulated near the filtration system of the plant's seawater pumping station. To ensure facility safety, the plant took preventive measures by completely shutting down 2 of its 6 reactor units. Meanwhile, 2 other units were operated at reduced power, and the remaining 2 units were already offline for maintenance and inspection reasons. This means that no unit at the Gravelines nuclear power plant is currently generating at full capacity...

2026-08-29

Unit 3 of France's Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant Reconnected to Grid, Unit 4 Remains Shut Down

According to EDF on August 18, Unit 3 of the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant in northern France was reconnected to the national grid at 3:55 a.m. local time on August 18. The unit had been automatically shut down at 7:43 p.m. on August 10 in accordance with established safety protection procedures due to a large influx of jellyfish into the seawater pump station filtration system. The Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant has a total of six units. On August 10, a large number of jellyfish entered the pump station used to draw seawater for cooling nuclear facilities, affecting equipment such as pre-filters and filter drums. In accordance with operating procedures, Units 3 and 4 were automatically shut down; the operating team also shut down Unit 2 and reduced Unit 1's power to 50% to adapt to changing site conditions. Unit 5 was...

2026-08-20

Heatwave and jellyfish influx into pump stations push French nuclear unit unavailability to 20.4%

The heatwave sweeping across multiple regions of France is impacting the country's electricity production. Several nuclear reactors operated by Électricité de France (EDF) have been shut down or derated due to environmental restrictions or external environmental factors, with the unavailability rate of affected units rising to 20.4% before 10:00 AM on August 12, marking a recent high. Of France's 57 nuclear reactors, 13 are currently affected. Among them, 8 units are fully shut down: Bugey Unit 3, Cattenom Unit 1, Chooz Units 1 and 2, Golfech Unit 2, and Gravelines Units 2, 3, and 4; another 5 units are operating below rated power, including Saint-Alban Unit 2, Tricastin Units 1 and 4...

2026-08-13