The French nuclear power plant was shut down because of the jellyfish
Aug 12, 2025
|
According to foreign media such as the Daily Mail, the Gravlin nuclear power plant in northern France has been temporarily shut down due to the sudden appearance of a large swarm of jellyfish.
French energy company EDF announced on the 11th (local time) that four reactors were automatically shut down as jellyfish blocked the coolant pump filter.
Since the remaining two units were already under maintenance, the entire power plant temporarily stopped generating electricity.
The Gravlin plant is the largest nuclear facility in Western Europe, with six reactors generating 900 megawatts of power each and supplying power to about 5 million homes.
"A very rare situation has occurred" EDF said "There was no impact on the safety and environment of facilities and personnel, and the power plant will be safely restarted on the 14th."
He also added that there is no concern about power shortages because other energy sources such as solar power are operating normally.
This is not the first time that a swarm of jellyfish has affected the operation of a nuclear power plant.
Similar accidents occurred in Sweden in 2013 and in Japan in 1999.
Experts pointed out that changes in marine ecosystems are promoting jellyfish breeding.
Jellyfish populations are surging due to overfishing, plastic pollution, and climate change, which pose a new risk to nuclear power plant operations.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
