Jellyfish Swarm Forces Shutdown of France's Largest Nuclear Power Plant

Strategic Insights -

A massive and unpredictable swarm of jellyfish has invaded the water intake systems at France's Gravelines nuclear power plant, forcing the automatic shutdown of three of its reactors. The entire plant, capable of powering about 5m homes, was brought offline after a fourth reactor shut down, just as a planned summer maintenance work was completed. French nuclear company EDF assures that the event did not affect the safety of the facilities, staff, or the environment, and there are no changes to electricity exports to the UK.

Key Takeaways:

  • Three reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France shut down automatically due to a massive swarm of jellyfish in the water intake systems.
  • The entire plant, capable of powering about 5m homes, was brought offline after a fourth reactor shut down.
  • The incident did not affect the safety of the facilities, staff, or the environment.
  • EDF, the French nuclear company, has assured that there are no changes to electricity exports to the UK.
  • Jellyfish swarms have caused disruptions to coastal power plants worldwide, including the Torness nuclear plant in Scotland and coal-fired power plants in eastern China.
  • Scientists at the University of Bristol are developing an "early warning tool" to predict the sudden appearance of jellyfish swarms that might disrupt coastal power plants.
  • Jellyfish have previously shut down nuclear and coal power plants in Sweden, the US, Japan, and caused a major blackout in the Philippines in 1999.

Statistics:

  • The Gravelines nuclear power plant draws water from a canal connected to the North Sea, which is home to several native species of jellyfish.
  • Jellyfish have been known to cause disruptions to coastal power plants for over a decade, prompting the development of the early warning tool.
  • The Torness nuclear plant in Scotland was shut for a week in 2021 due to jellyfish clogging seaweed filters.
  • Over 150 tonnes of jellyfish were cleared from the eastern China's largest coal-fired power plant in September.
  • The Gravelines nuclear power plant is capable of powering about 5 million homes.

Sources:

  • EDF (official statement)
  • University of Bristol (Scientists developing early warning tool)
  • Photograph: Laurie MacBride/Alamy (dense bloom of moon jellyfish)