In northern France, a swarm of jellyfish has paralyzed the Gravelines nuclear power plant. The animals were discovered in the filter drums of the cooling water pumping stations. This was not foreseeable, Électricité de France (EDF) announced on Monday.
Three reactors were shut down on Sunday night for safety reasons, and a fourth followed on Monday morning. Maintenance work had already been planned in advance. As a result, the entire nuclear power plant is now temporarily closed.
Technicians are on duty. The incident did not affect the safety of the plant, the staff, or the environment, EDF said. The Gravelines plant has six pressurized water reactors and is cooled with water from a canal connected to the North Sea. Several species of jellyfish are native to the area.
In summer, they often remain close to the coast when water temperatures are higher. Will More Nuclear Power Plants Follow? A heatwave has been forecast for southern France this week. As a result, it is expected that several other nuclear power plants may have to operate at reduced capacity because river temperatures are rising.
At the same time, electricity demand is expected to increase. On Monday, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius were expected in many parts of France. The heat has spread across the southern half of the country since Friday and is now moving further north. According to meteorologists, it might not cool down until the weekend at the earliest.
