A massive school of jellyfish disrupts operations, leading to the temporary closure of a French nuclear power station.
Jellyfish Cause Automatic Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Plant
The Gravelines nuclear power plant in France experienced an unexpected shutdown last weekend, as four of its six reactors were automatically shut down due to the presence of massive jellyfish swarms clogging the ocean water intake filters used for cooling.
The automatic shutdown was necessary to protect the reactors from overheating, as the jellyfish clogged the screens and even liquefied into gel-like substances that passed deeper into the system. The plant resumed operations only after cleaning and diagnostics.
This incident is part of a growing global problem, with similar events happening in Scotland and Sweden. The increasing jellyfish populations, driven by environmental changes such as warming oceans, agricultural runoff creating low oxygen dead zones, and plastic waste serving as jellyfish breeding grounds, have made these events more frequent.
EDF, the operator of the Gravelines plant, stated that incidents involving jellyfish shutting down their operations are quite rare. They also assured that there was no risk of a power shortage, as other energy sources, including solar power, were operational. The last impact of jellyfish on EDF's operations was in the 1990s.
Teams are currently carrying out inspections to restart the production units at Gravelines, with the units expected to restart on Thursday. However, no specific information about the current status of the inspections or the expected restart date for the production units has been provided.
The Gravelines plant, Western Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has six reactors, each with the capacity to produce 900 megawatts. The plant is planning to open two next-generation reactors, each with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, by 2040.
It's important to note that the Gravelines plant is the location where a bombing occurred 40 years ago, as mentioned in a separate news article. However, the current jellyfish presence at the plant has no impact on the safety of the facilities, personnel, or the environment, according to EDF's statement.
The incidents of jellyfish causing nuclear plant shutdowns are becoming more frequent, with the Gravelines plant being a recent high-profile case linked to environmental changes boosting jellyfish populations. Similar events have occurred in Sweden and Scotland, highlighting this as an international operational risk for coastal nuclear facilities.
Research suggests that solutions include developing jellyfish monitoring and physical barriers, but the underlying environmental causes must also be addressed to reduce bloom frequency. Overfishing, plastic pollution, and climate change have created conditions that allow jellyfish to thrive and reproduce.
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