A massive swarm of jellyfish has forced the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France to shut down, operator EDF said on Monday.
The marine creatures clogged the filters of the site’s cooling systems late on Sunday, prompting four power units to automatically switch off. The remaining two units were already offline for maintenance, temporarily putting the entire facility out of operation.
EDF described the incident as caused by the “massive and unpredictable presence of jellyfish,” but stressed there was “no impact on the safety of the facilities, the safety of personnel, or the environment.” The jellyfish reached only the non-nuclear sections of the site.
Plant teams are conducting diagnostics and necessary interventions to restart the production units safely, EDF said.
The Gravelines plant draws cooling water from a channel linked to the North Sea, which is home to several jellyfish species. The operator did not confirm the exact species involved in the latest disruption.
Jellyfish have a history of interfering with coastal power stations, often becoming trapped in cooling systems or clogging intake pipes at both nuclear and conventional plants worldwide.
Located in the Nord department, the Gravelines facility is one of France’s largest nuclear power stations.
The country generates about 70 per cent of its electricity from nuclear energy. The six units at Gravelines each have a peak capacity of 900 megawatts, making the site capable of supplying power to an estimated five million homes.
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