France: Jellyfish Swarm Shutters Nuclear Power Plant

The Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France has been shut down after a swarm of jellyfish invaded the filter cylinders that draw cooling water, according to the state-owned company EDF that operates it. The plant in northern France is one of the largest in the country and is cooled by a channel connected to the North Sea.

Four reactors were affected by the incident, which occurred late on Sunday and led to the closure of the entire plant. Reactors 2, 3 and 4 shut down automatically when the pumping station filters became clogged with a 'huge and unforeseen' swarm of jellyfish, while reactor 6 stopped operating shortly afterwards, according to EDF.

The entire nuclear power plant, located on the French coast between Calais and Dunkirk, has been temporarily shut down, as the other two units are out of service for scheduled maintenance, according to EDF data. Several species of jellyfish are endemic to the North Sea and are often seen around the coastline in summer when the waters are warm.

The incident did not affect the safety of the facilities, personnel or the environment, according to EDF. The station's six units produce 900 megawatts of power each, or 5.4 gigawatts in total. It is not yet known when the nuclear power plant will be put back into operation.